"Parent to Parent" is a telephone-contact self-help group for families of special needs children. Support parents are recruited and trained to provide counseling to other parents. Professionals lead the training course, which focuses on listening, understanding, and action planning. Parents carry out the support group's administrative…

In addition to its basic function, the Head Start program provides access to health care, nutrition, and social services. Its services are comprehensive, parents and community are involved, and staff development is an integral feature. New York State's allocations of federal funds for handicapped children are based on Head Start's annual reports.…

The school inservice coordinator for mainstreaming (SICM) is responsible for training regular class teachers and administrators to deal with handicapped students. SICMs are trained via workshop, courses, group meetings, and practica. Pre and post data for SICMs in two Maryland counties show growth in content knowledge and understanding. (CL)

This final report describes the activities and accomplishments of a 3-year federally funded project at the University of Florida concerned with the multidisciplinary preparation of physical and special educators in adapted physical education for children with low-incidence disabilities. The project supported, per semester, 10-15 masters students,…

This guide is a product of a study of factors associated with exemplary inclusive high schools and focuses on the key factor of leadership. The study identified four schools and studied them for 2 years using various data collection methods. This resulting document describes what school and district leaders can do to build inclusive programs and…

State assessment systems must address both technical and policy issues as assessments and accountability practices are developed and implemented. These technical and policy issues have been expanded from traditional large-scale assessment to new alternative assessment approaches required by law and developed in every state. The primary purpose of…

This case study describes the recent development of two housing co-ops "Courtyard" and "CHORD," in Toronto (Ontario, Canada) that are inclusive of people with disabilities, that is, the co-ops were developed by people with disabilities, their families, and friends. Focus is on components utilized in the planning and development…

This report describes the decision-making model that provides the theoretical framework being developed by the Early Childhood Research Institute on Measuring Growth and Development (ECRI-MGD) in a 5-year project to generate a set of common child and family indicators that can be used within a comprehensive system of service delivery for young…

This manual was designed to assist museums in becoming accessible to all individuals, including people with disabilities, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (ADA). Following an introduction that addresses museum attendance, accessibility, universal design, and different types of disabilities, chapter 1, "ADA Basics…

Provides 15 key questions that educators should consider in developing collaborative and inclusive schools. The questions are organized into three categories: general and philosophical questions pertaining to inclusion, questions about the basic mechanics of developing inclusion programs, and questions about the practical implementation of…

This article provides strategies for improving parent information sessions and engaging parents in the support of their children's (including children with disabilities) education. Strategies include using parent-friendly teaching materials, scheduling meetings for family convenience, maintaining a comfortable atmosphere, and providing…

Reflects on the development of transition planning and services for students with disabilities. Discusses legislative changes mandating transition services and describes current conditions and outcomes for youth in transition. Identifies transformative collaboration and other themes that have implications for improvement of transition services.…

Describes the role of a research institute director in implementing policy, program, and management changes. Emphasizes the importance of modifying a peer review system to improve funding decisions. Discusses the needs of individuals with disabilities for pragmatic solutions to their problems and the interests of the rehabilitation research…

A planning procedure was developed to increase opportunities for secondary special education students to be referred to and receive appropriate community services after graduation. The procedure requires interagency cooperation and focuses on vocational placement, postsecondary education, living arrangements, mobility, and financial planning.…

The problems of Individual Education Plan (IEP) utilization with handicapped students are analyzed and compared to the developing use of Individual Transition Plans (ITP). Considered are issues of accountability, relevance, quality, feasibility, and preparedness. (DB)