Peer-mediated interventions are a powerful and practical way of promoting the social relationships, learning, and inclusion of students with disabilities. In this article, we describe one state's efforts to scale up a research-based, peer-mediated program called Peer to Peer throughout Michigan. Among the more than 700 schools that now offer this…

At the University of Central Missouri (UCM), the THRIVE program is made up of young adults, ages 18 to 25, who have developmental or intellectual disabilities. A merger occurred between the THRIVE program and the adapted physical education course required for physical education teacher education (PETE) students to provide practical experiences for…

This "FOCUS Technical Brief" describes the exemplary knowledge translation work of the winner of the Center on KT4TT's 2012 PUSH Award. The recipient, the Infinity Communication Access Lab, is a partnership between Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the Toronto District School Board in Toronto, Canada. The lab aims to…

This updated manual was designed primarily for use by individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions. It is hoped that it is also useful for families, as well as service coordinators and providers who directly assist families and individuals with developmental disabilities. The main focus of this manual is to provide…

Self-advocacy and self-determination include the abilities to select personal goals, plan steps toward goals, assess one's progress, make choices, and self-monitor and self-evaluate one's behaviors. These are important skills in both current and future environments. Unfortunately, youth with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities…

This article features two exemplary programs in health education practice: (1) Project L.E.A.P (Learning Effective and Applicable Parenting); and (2) A program that uses a pedestrian count tool to measure environmental and health promotion efforts. Project L.E.A.P. was developed by the Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities to promote…

As a new extension of individual quality-of-life (QOL) framework that has been widely embraced in the field of disability to affect policy making, guide service delivery, and enhance outcomes of individuals with disabilities, family quality of life (FQoL) has been increasingly recognized as an important concept in the area of family supports for…

This manual was designed primarily for use by individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions. It is hoped that it is also useful for families, as well as service coordinators and providers who directly assist families and individuals with developmental disabilities. The main focus of this manual is to provide easy-to-read…

The paper describes the Temporary Care Services program in Massachusetts which provides in-home respite care to families with developmentally delayed children. Events which led to the program's development are reviewed. Respite care is offered in six areas: emergencies, scheduled routine events, social activities, family life, child care for…

The article describes Life Experiences, Inc., an organization in Cary, North Carolina, that operates and maintains facilities and programs for handicapped adults and assists them to function as productive citizens of the community. (DLS)

Describes how a group of adults with autism, mental retardation, and other disabilities has accessed a means of communication and formed a bridge to the community through poetry. (SR)

This three-year pilot program provided an opportunity to work intensively with a small group of severe epileptic clients in a comprehensive rehabilitation center setting. The goals of the program were not only to evaluate intensively and attempt to maximize the individual client's potential for working and living in society through the provision…

The book describes federal training and employment resources for developmentally disabled persons. The first section provides a brief historical background of the federal government's involvement in employment and training beginning with the 1930's up to the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section II examines seven…

This article describes a university-based inclusion program for college-age students with developmental disabilities. An overview of the program considers program objectives, participants (outreach students and university students enrolled in an occupation therapy program), and scope. Description of the program implementation is followed by…

The paper reports on a Stockton, California, program to train developmentally disabled children for community living. Evaluation and referral procedures are discussed, as are financial statistics. Treatment results are summarized and the example is given of successful intervention with a 13-year-old multiply handicapped boy with untrained bowel…