A parent recounts his Downs Syndrome son's integration into a regular Boy Scout troop and subsequent earning of the Eagle rank. His Eagle project involved speaking about his disability in local elementary, junior high, and senior high schools. Policies of the Boy and Girl Scout organizations concerning disabled members are summarized. (CB)

Many deaf students become perennial "outsiders," never really becoming an integral part of their mainstream classrooms. Factors contributing to this may include family dynamics, teacher attitudes, and lack of interactions between deaf and hearing children. Parents can promote their child's integration, through accessing home, school, and community…

The study examined perceptions of issues associated with inclusive education of 437 parents from a midwestern state in the United States who have a child with a mild, moderate, or severe disability. Parents responded to a modified form of the Opinions Related to Mainstreaming (ORM) Scale (Antonak & Larrivee, 1995) and provided additional…

A mother describes the decision-making and the process involved in mainstreaming her five-year-old hearing-impaired son into a mainstream kindergarten program. The parents considered input from other parents and the need to achieve true social integration in the mainstream setting. (DB)

This article, in the form of a letter from the parent of a teenager to parents of younger children with disabilities, encourages parents to take advantage of integrated educational opportunities for their children. Negative aspects of segregated education are illustrated with examples from the teenager's life. (DB)

This article examines the challenges and successes experienced over four years by three academically gifted students with deaf-blindness in inclusive educational programs, and presents recommendations about placement of students with similar needs in inclusive programs. (Author/DB)

This booklet contains an outline of, and recommendations based on, a study of 128 New Zealand children in special groups mainstreamed into kindergartens and play groups. Research goals were to explore how mainstreaming had been implemented, whether special group children were profiting from the environment's educational opportunities, and whether…

Chronicles the experiences and feelings of the authors, parents of a son who was blind from birth. It describes their encounters with the public educational system from kindergarten to college, concentrating on the boy's adolescent years, from middle school to college. Also discussed are mainstreaming, friendships, time management, contact with…

The use of a teletypewriter (TTY) to help a primary grade deaf child better communicate with hearing peers is described by the child's parents. The article addresses obtaining the two TTY machines, involving the teacher, learning to use the machine by both deaf and hearing children, and the machine's value for developing language skills in…

This literature review and bibliography of 35 references addresses child care and education of young (under age 6) children with disabilities. It utilizes a question-and-answer format, with relevant references cited in the answers. Questions address the following issues: (1) incidence of disabilities or delays in children under age 6; (2) features…

This digest uses a question-and-answer format to summarize basic issues about the inclusion of children who are deaf or hard of hearing in classrooms with normal hearing students. It briefly reviews the history of the inclusion movement and identifies two general positions in the debate: (1) that all students have the right to go to school with…

This pamphlet provides an overview of the philosophical, legal, and research bases of responsible inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classes. Educators are urged to not disregard the continuum of service placement, which is legally required, but to recognize that most students with disabilities can be educated in regular classes in…

This manual is intended to facilitate the integration of children with mental handicaps into child care centers in Canada and elsewhere. The first chapter looks at the background of integration in early childhood child care programs in Canada and identifies concerns of parents. The second chapter explores the practice of labelling children with…

These three videotape recordings focus on provision of inclusive, family-centered programs for children with disabilities, birth through age 8. The first video is 14 minutes long and is titled "ICC Parents Share Their Stories." In it, four parents who serve on state interagency coordinating councils (ICCs) for early intervention share…

The Statewide Systems Change Project for the Severely Handicapped was a federally funded project established to develop activities to improve the quality of special education and related services for learners with severe handicaps and to encourage a change in service delivery from segregated to integrated environments. The project identified best…