Case studies are used to demonstrate several strategies used in the San Francisco Bay area to ensure the inclusion of persons with dual sensory impairments and other multiple disabilities in integrated community employment. Strategies include heterogeneous group placement, job restructuring, use of natural support, volunteerism, and social skills…

The social/verbal interactions of six employees with moderate or severe mental retardation and six workers without mental retardation were observed in restaurant settings. Among findings was that interactions between workers with mental retardation and the job coach correlated negatively with the workers' initiation of interactions with co-workers…

Parents and teachers need to work together to help children with special needs develop meaningful friendships. Emphasis is on the need for parents and teachers to build structures likely to facilitate the development of friendships. (DB)

Thirty hearing college students were interviewed to assess their perceptions of deaf students as classmates and influences of these perceptions on campus integration efforts. Hearing students felt that deaf students had similar academic competencies but were less competent socially. Full integration, especially social integration, did not occur.…

A traditional view of social skills instruction, which is antithetical to promoting children's social development, is presented. Three explanations of social development are then outlined within the context of social integration of students with disabilities. Recommendations for general educators to promote children's social skills are offered,…

An intervention with two nonverbal elementary students with severe/profound mental retardation involved training the students to use badges showing play activities and then implementing use of the badges in a free play situation with nondisabled age-appropriate peers. Increased use of play organizers, initiations, and sharing resulted. (DB)

This article describes a high school club for students with and without disabilities that was established to promote constructive social relationships through an after-school club format and to develop students' self-confidence, social acceptance, and peer interaction opportunities. The membership, meetings, officers, and activities of the club…

This article describes strategies to assist toddlers with special needs in inclusive settings to acquire social interaction skills. Strategies include: (1) arranging the environment; (2) group affection activities; (3) imitation of peers; (4) teacher prompts; (5) teacher reinforcement; (6) correspondence training; and (7) peer-mediated…

This curriculum to foster the inclusion of students with disabilities is designed to be offered by educators in junior and senior high school settings. It is intended to bring together students with and without disabilities for classroom instruction, discussion, and experiential learning. The experiential component pairs students with disabilities…

Through cooperative games and play, children learn to share, empathize with others' feelings, and get along better. The article makes suggestions to physical educators on how to design games to teach students cooperative behaviors and how to incorporate them into class, noting four important game-design principles. (SM)

Twenty deaf students attending Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) were interviewed to study social and academic aspects of mainstreaming. While students appreciated the opportunity to attend mainstream college classes and felt they were succeeding academically, they also experienced separation and even isolation within the mainstream class.…

Preschool children (n=56) with mild/moderate handicaps were assigned to integrated or nonintegrated classes; social interaction was promoted in half the classes. Observation revealed a higher proportion of interactive play and higher language development in social interaction conditions, and higher ratings of social competence in the…

The paper describes practical strategies to support the integration of children with disabilities into regular classes. Modifications in the classroom that facilitate integration include individualized instructional methods, use of the Adaptive Learning Environments Model, cooperative learning strategies, heterogeneous grouping within the…

This article suggests specific strategies to prevent rejection and isolation and encourage interactions when students with disabilities are integrated into general education classes. Teachers are encouraged to foster proximity, teach peer support and friendship skills, foster respect for individual differences, and provide a positive model. (DB)

Twenty-six suggestions for setting up a class environment in which children with learning or behavior problems can develop friendships are presented, including integrating friendship into the curriculum, teaching necessary social skills, structuring successful recess and lunch periods, honoring children's friendships in placement decisions, and…