The report examines the status of community integration for people with the most severe disabilities. Information is drawn from literature reviews, telephone surveys of over 50 programs nationwide, and visits to 5 community service systems in 4 states. An initial section outlines basic principles for community integration, followed by a review and…

This paper compares segregated, integrated, and community-based environments for instructing students with severe, multiple handicaps. Advantages and disadvantages are reviewed, recommendations for selection of suitable instructional environments are offered, and essential criteria for the evaluation of instruction in the various environments are…

This article discusses development and implementation of a community-based residential program for deaf blind young adults at the Hilltop House (Texas). The article outlines principles of sound management, realistic staff expectations, developmentally appropriate activities, family participation, crisis management, medication, and close…

The case study describes a family residential service for three people with profound and multiple disabilities in Burlington, Vermont. The disabled individuals live with a couple and their two children who are also provided support services in the form of weekend relief and helpers for the late afternoon and evening period. The house is owned by a…

This report summarizes the results of a 3-year project in the metropolitan Boston (Massachusetts) area designed to demonstrate job placement and support for individuals with multiple disabilities that include severe physical disabilities and mental retardation. The report summarizes project outcomes, the cost and range of supports that…

The relationship between cost-efficiency and personal characteristics of 111 supported employees were examined. When sheltered workshops were used as alternative placements, supported employees with high IQS benefited more from employment within the community than did supported employees with lower IQS. From society's perspective, African-American…

This evaluation project was designed to assess 37 persons (ages 21-72) who had moved from intermediate care facilities or skilled nursing facilities into innovative one-person or two-person community integrated living arrangements as a result of the Supported Placements in Integrated Community Environments project. The 37 persons had severe or…

This executive summary presents highlights of a study which sought to determine whether participants in the Supported Placements in Integrated Community Environments project were better off after moving to community homes from intermediate care facilities and skilled nursing facilities, and to determine the variables that contribute to quality…

This conference report focuses upon transition issues for those individuals with profound multiple-sensory impairments. It contains presentations, reactions, and syntheses of discussions by working groups. The keynote address, by H. D. Bud Fredericks, is titled "Those with Profound Handicaps: Who Are They? How Can They Be Served?."…

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…

This study evaluated the quality and costs of services for 16 young adults with dual sensory impairments and mental retardation before and during their placement at a specialized, community-based, residential, further-education facility in England. Results indicated that overall quality and costs were higher than in previous placements, though…

This paper presents an example of "optimistic research," a qualitative approach which focuses on positive interventions helpful to practitioners, in this case an examination of programs successfully integrating people with severe disabilities. The study evaluated 40 programs through site visits which focus on observation, interviews, and…

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…

This compilation brings together various conference papers and a working group report on the topic of residential services for people with deaf-blindness and other profound disabilities. The title paper by Lyle T. Romer describes three measures for evaluating residential programs: capacity, progress, and lifestyle. Valued outcomes of a residential…

Community residences for small groups of people and day activity programs designed to increase functional levels for severely multiply handicapped persons with visual problems, are proposed as the only viable, humane alternative to institutionalization. Sources of funding for these goup home and day activity programs, which cost the same as…