Research indicates that social isolation among youth is on the rise and not only impacts a child's self-esteem, but also plays a key role in health and academic performance. A 2013 study published in the American Journal of Public Health linked social isolation with depression, loss of sleep, eating disorders, and poor cardiovascular health. In…

In this article, we consider the ways in which both formal and informal social practices at colleges and universities can lead domestic and international students to engage in meaningful cross-cultural interactions. Employing a narrative-based approach, we reflect upon our own personal experiences as domestic students who developed close…

There has been increasing interest in providing students with disabilities, who are at risk of social isolation, with opportunities to develop social competence and self-determination. Specifically, the provision of opportunities for teaching these students to promote social problem-solving skills is potentially useful for facilitating their…

Schizophrenia as mental illness is defined in terms of diagnostic criteria which do not include the full range of psychosocial difficulties that shape the lived experience of persons with this diagnosis and affect their quality of life. The biopsychosocial approach found in the World Health Organization's International Classification of…

The title of this presentation speaks to the contradictory notion of the "global village" and the great benefits associated with the sharing of knowledge--a key advantage to our shared globalized context. This "Commentary" seeks to articulate some of the lessons being discovered in South Africa related to children, families and…

Trilhos Alternativos (Alternative Paths) is a community-based program that aims to integrate African-Portuguese urban youth from low-income families into Portuguese society. This article describes the first year of the program and presents formative data about effectiveness of the program. The motivation system seems to be an indirect variable…

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 Young Adult Learners Project focuses on personal development and social inclusion through a curriculum emphasizing these topics: self-management, using information, rights and responsibilities, relationships, support, risks, self-knowledge, coping with feelings, and beliefs. Mentors play a key role in guidance and assessment. (SK)

Understanding collaborative writing as a form of networking is useful in that it highlights the fact that composition students do not have the same type of networks or networking skills. Composition assignments should take into account the digital divide and should foster networking across social class divisions because invention is a social act.…

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 manual describes the "Friends" project, a year-long effort in Minnesota to develop methods for the staff of residential service agencies to support people with developmental disabilities in establishing friendships with nondisabled people in their communities. Six agencies around the state selected a total of 23 individuals (ages 11…

This paper describes the Early Childhood Social Skills Program developed at the University of Pittsburgh's Early Childhood Research Institute. The paper discusses specific social skill strategies as well as steps for implementing the peer-mediated social skill program in an integrated preschool setting. (JDD)

Handicapped students have a right to participate in collegiate recreational programs, either on their present levels or on adapted levels. Programs should be flexible enough to adapt to a changing number of students and their recreational desires. (CJ)

Gypsy children have been disadvantaged in education by poor attendance and parental attitudes toward education and child rearing. The Portland Schools' Gypsy Education Project attempts the gradual mainstreaming of Gypsies into regular classrooms through special group instruction within a normal elementary school environment. (SK)

The booklet is designed to provide awareness training for the general public on the relationship between persons with disabilities and other members of society. The booklet is divided into six sections concerning persons who are mentally ill, hearing impaired, mentally retarded, mobility impaired, visually impaired, or have epilepsy. Background…