This webinar presented strategies to make the curriculum, instruction, and assessment more accessible for students with disabilities, including significant cognitive disabilities. This Q&A addressed the questions participants had for Dr. Jacqui Kearns following the webinar. The webinar recording and PowerPoint presentation are also available.

Career education, which is designed to promote cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills at all educational levels, is especially important for exceptional children. A comprehensive approach to career development is needed by school districts, along with feedback from former students. (SEW)

Using vignettes of individual handicapped children in Ohio schools, the authors discuss the importance of P.L. 94-142 in helping these children to develop productive lives. (SJL)

Career development may be conceived in a broad way as providing the opportunity for children to learn the academic, personal-social, and occupational knowledge and skills necessary to attain economic, personal, and social fulfillment. (SEW)

A model of development for children and youth with learning disabilities (LD) is presented, including three cognitive/academic development variables, seven affective variables, three social development variables, and four behavior development variables. The model presents a holistic view of LD students and considers various issues that can impede…

Students with disabilities often experience particular difficulties with handwriting, and these problems can hinder their development both in school and in postsecondary settings. This paper addresses three issues: (1) the possibility of a prejudicial and potentially lasting first impression, based on the individual's handwriting; (2) the lack of…

Two brief papers provide reasons to support self-determination for students with disabilities, with one paper written from the perspective of educators and one written from the parents' perspective. Each paper discusses 11 benefits of self-determination, including: (1) personal control, (2) motivation, (3) prosocial behaviors, (4) self-awareness,…

The importance of providing option-rich environments that facilitate the growth of individuals with disabilities toward self-determination is emphasized. Of concern is the centrality of self-determination, constraints to self-determination, and strategies to encourage individuals to become self-determined. (Author/SW)

A new model of service provision for college students with disabilities is proposed. The model focuses on the campus as an environment where all can be empowered to assist students in meeting their own disability-related needs. Suggestions for making the transition to such an environment are offered. (MSE)

This article highlights the importance of parent-professional relationships to the academic and social development of special needs students and considers the impact of ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity on the establishment of these partnerships. (Author/DB)

This article looks at curriculum for students with learning difficulties from a British perspective and urges the replacement of behavioral approaches to the curriculum by a process model which emphasizes personal and social development rather than the National Curriculum. (Author/DB)

The report summarizes findings and recommendations of a California Task Force on Program Effectiveness in Special Education. The 30 Task Force members ("stakeholders" in special education) were divided into committees to address four goals: (1) identify the mission of special education and describe the context in which special education…

This paper describes the application of peer teaching to the training of prospective special education teachers. This approach emphasizes practicing the teaching act in a safe environment, i.e., one in which young learners are not at risk and in which the prospective teacher can receive feedback from peers and the instructor without fear of being…

Critical themes and specific alternatives for helping adolescents with disabilities to avoid severely limiting their life choices are discussed. The themes concern relating learning experiences to the youth's life, providing experiences that allow and prepare youth for adulthood, and adult caring and advocacy for youth. Interventions supporting…

This Spanish translation of ED 132 428 includes the three papers representing Office of Education attempts to face the need for improving delivery of career education to special portions of the population. New additions are brief sections on basic definitions and additional considerations of the significance of work. The first paper, on career…