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…

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…

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…

This article reports the experiences of one school district as it moved from serving students with severe disabilities in segregated programs to a full inclusion model. Year one focused on getting started, planning, and beginning integration efforts and year two on implementation of a structured peer integration program. Applicability of the full…

Development of a program integrating multiply disabled children into a self-contained preschool program serving deaf and hard of hearing children is described. Although the children were integrated within one curriculum, they were provided small group instruction based on their language skill levels. (DB)

This article describes challenges and solutions to the integration of children with multiple disabilities into supported regular elementary classes: (1) providing a functional curriculum in a regular class; (2) providing community-based instruction; (3) scheduling staff coverage; and (4) promoting social integration. Solutions are illustrated with…

This report on Community Vision, Inc. is part of a series documenting innovative supports for community living for adults with severe disabilities. Community Vision was created as an alternative to facility-based services in Oregon that would intentionally focus on providing inclusive community living for those with the most severe disabilities…

A sex education program for an adolescent who is mentally retarded or blind must emphasize concrete teaching, visual compensators, resource persons, repetition of content, and opportunities for social learning. Nurses and special educators can serve as consultants to health educators in planning a sex education program. (JN)

This paper describes the planning and implementation of an instructional unit to teach the basics of American Sign Language to a class of nine elementary-aged male students with serious emotional disturbances (including one with a severe hearing impairment) in a laboratory school. The systematic instructional approach, direct instruction, was…

This monograph is a compilation of the knowledge gained by the Technical Assistance Center (TAC) of the Helen Keller National Center, from training and technical assistance activities conducted with state interagency teams serving youth and young adults with deaf-blindness. The book views interagency collaboration as essential in achieving…

This report on "Options for Individuals" is part of a series documenting innovative supports for community living for adults with severe disabilities. Options for Individuals, which began in 1984 in Kentucky, uses Medicaid waiver funding to support 29 people with severe and often multiple disabilities during the day. While the program is…

Six high school students with multiple disabilities, including mental retardation, were taught community living skills through the establishment of a shopping service for people who were elderly or who had disabilities. Students increased their competence in community survival skills and also experienced a new role as helper. (JDD)

This case study describes the educational history and current program of Mike, a mainstreamed sixth-grader with deaf-blindness. It addresses the boy's successes and the ongoing challenges faced by his family, his educational team, and his peers. Background information notes his diagnosis of total blindness and moderate to severe hearing loss, his…

This final report describes a 5-year Kentucky project to improve integrated educational services and life quality of children and youth with severe disabilities, including students with deaf-blindness. Project objectives focus on the identification and removal of barriers to effective integrated programs; the provision of educational services on…