When students with autism, intellectual, and multiple disabilities are included in general education classes their teachers often struggle with identifying meaningful participation opportunities. Too often students are seated in the back of the room, socially isolated from their classmates, taught primarily by a paraprofessional, and without…

The successful participation of students with disabilities in a general education classroom is generally presumed to be contingent on the creation of classroom communities that can nurture the qualities of equity and care and where different forms of diversity are valued. However, there has been less scholarship that documents the production of…

Two classes of first graders--one of handicapped children, the other of normal children--developed their own ways of learning about each other. (Author)

A case study is presented of a 17 year old physically handicapped mildly retarded girl who was mainstreamed in a magnet school designed to foster interest in the social sciences. Through cooperative efforts of classroom teachers, special educators, the work experience teacher, and administrator, a program was developed that resulted in significant…

Programs in three British schools that have attempted to integrate physically and multiply handicapped children into regular classes are described. Remedial teachers were used to support the regular teacher and provide advice on physical and learning problems. (CL)

The Life Adjustment Program (LAP) of the Model Secondry School for the Deaf, Washington, DC, is a self-contained unit providing vocational and life skills training for multiply handicapped hearing impaired students. (SEW)

The component parts of a continuum of services needed for the deaf blind individual to function in the least restrictive environment are discussed. The need for both public and private interagency cooperation for the service delivery system to be effective is cited. (PHR)

This article discusses the increasing incidence of cortical visual impairments, resulting from medical advancements making possible the survival of critically ill children with severe brain damage. Discussed are the prevalence of multiple handicaps, formation of visual concepts, foreground/background distinction, potential for mainstreaming, use…

Many children with severe disabilities never have the opportunity to try general physical education (GPE) because their Individualized Education Program (IEP) team feels that they will not be successful, will not benefit, or will not be safe. However, there are ways to safely, successfully, and meaningfully include children with severe…

This report, one of a series of case studies on mainstreaming efforts, describes a self-contained class for nine severely mentally and multiply handicapped 16- to 21-year-olds in an urban middle school. Following a description of the physical and social environment is a review of the history of the program begun in 1978-79. The author observes…

Planning and implementing successful community-based social integration experiences for infants and toddlers with multiple disabilities require consideration of such issues as the developmental needs unique to this age-group, family needs and concerns, health and safety considerations, and training needs of staff. (JDD)

The Including Exceptions in Schools (IES) Project attempted to develop, implement, and validate a system for educating students with the most extreme dual sensory and other cognitive, physical, and health impairments in general education settings. The project involved 17 elementary and secondary students in Oregon, Idaho, and Louisiana over a…

The Special Opportunities Program (SOP) at the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School in Washington, DC, serves hearing impaired students (two to 14 years old) who have special learning problems on additional handicaps, including developmental disabilities. The SOP is also integrated with the regular program, which eases mainstreaming. (SEW)

Noted are problems such as the increased incidence of handicaps additional to the hearing impairment, the lack of homogeneity among the hearing impaired, and the poor language ability of most hearing impaired students. Current programs in Missouri, California, and New York are briefly described. (DB)

This article discusses mainstreaming of a student (age five) with physical, intellectual, visual, and suspected auditory impairments in her neighborhood school in Auckland, New Zealand. Comments of the people involved in the program, including the principal, teachers, teacher's aide, family members, and fellow pupils are reported; and the success…