Special education has changed over the years since its inception due to advocacy, litigation, legislation, trends, and research investigations. While it can be somewhat controversial depending on the disability the child might have or professionals involved in the process of instructing and planning his/her future education, it is a field that has…

This study explored the impact of race/ethnicity on three of the four essential characteristics of self-determination--autonomy, self-realization, and psychological empowerment--directly assessed in the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2. Specifically, the impact of race/ethnicity was examined with six disability groups established in…

Idiopathic scoliosis affects 2-3% of adolescents. Large, progressing deformities, mostly present in girls, may lead to pulmonary complications, pain symptoms, the feeling of social isolation, and even mental disorders. The correlation of screening programs with surgery rate reduction and the clinical effectiveness of bracing remain a matter of…

This meta-synthesis of empirical and nonempirical literature analyzed 24 journal articles and book chapters that addressed the intersection of disability, [homo]sexuality, and gender identity/expression in P-12 schools, colleges and universities, supported living programs, and other educational and social contexts in Australia, Belgium, Canada,…

Disability is a human constant: all human societies have and have always had disabled members. Although the presence of such individuals is a constant, culturally shared responses to them vary greatly across time and social context. (Author/BJV)

The study compared level of assertion among four groups of adult male subjects: Arab and Jewish Israelis with and without a physical disability (total N=189). Results indicated there was significant interaction between cultural affiliation and physical disability. Arab subjects without a physical disability reported the lowest level of assertion.…

Anthropologists contend that throughout man's history mental illness has been part of all cultures, and, universally, peoples had taxonomies that classified such maladies. Primitive peoples were better able to treat culturally-defined mental illnesses and could, consequently, accommodate behaviors which in Western cultures would require…

This paper discusses the challenges of identifying gifted students from underrepresented or special populations. Reasons for underrepresentation of students from special populations are reviewed and include biases in standardized testing, underreferral of students from diverse cultural and ethnic groups to gifted programs by teachers, and the…

The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands has had a program of vocational rehabilitation since 1974. These islands have been under the trusteeship of the United States since 1946. Describes some concerns, some efforts to deal with them, and future directions for its Vocational Rehabilitation Services. (Author/RK)

Considers the benefits of incorporating library outreach programs into regular ongoing library services, based on experiences at the Chicago Public Library. Highlights include literacy programs; recognition of cultural diversity, including special services and collections for various ethnic groups; and services for deaf, blind, and physically…

This paper notes that therapists often feel unqualified to deal with special populations of children because of a lack of understanding of the universalness of play therapy. Suggestions are offered for beginning play therapists who may work with a number of special populations of children. It is recommended that the social learning approach to…

This collection of abstracts and papers includes: "Classroom Lesson Planning Using Constructivist Principles" (Richard K. Gordon, Stephen Lee, and Joel Colbert); "Students' Perception of Experiential Learning and Assessment of Own Learning at the Physically Handicapped School" (Shigeru Shimizu; Minoru Umezawa, and Yumiko Ono);…

A pilot study evaluating the use of conductive education for children and adults with cerebral palsy and other motor impairments in Germany concluded that a straightforward transfer of the Hungarian system into German society is not desirable but that conductive education should be adapted to each country's rehabilitation system. The modification…

THE NAVAJO REHABILITATION PROJECT STUDIED THE REACTIONS OF THE NAVAJO TO ILLNESSES AND DISABILITIES. THE PURPOSES OF THIS REPORT WERE (1) TO PROVIDE CERTAIN FACTS AND VIEWPOINTS FOR REHABILITATION PROJECT WORKERS, (2) TO PROVIDE SUMMATIONS OF TYPICAL CASE HISTORIES, (3) TO SUGGEST AVENUES OF FUTURE RESEARCH, (4) TO ILLUSTRATE THAT COOPERATIVE…

This book, which presents an overview of 12 diverse populations, was written to expose practitioners such as counselors, teachers, college faculty, mental health workers, and social workers to the unique and genuine characteristics of subgroups within the United States and to effectively assist these practitioners as they work with clients and/or…