The emergence of supported employment programs in the United States has substantially raised expectations concerning the viability of employment in promoting the integration, productivity, and independence of persons with severe disabilities. Frank R. Rusch and David Braddock, in their article "Adult Day Programs Versus Supported Employment…

The author of this article talks to Robert Kreider about why helping people with special needs is so important to him and his colleagues. Robert Kreider is the president and chief executive officer of The Devereux Foundation, the nation's largest non-profit provider of behavioral healthcare services to children and adults with emotional,…

This study compared the effectiveness of three different video-based instructional sequences, all used in conjunction with the system of least prompts, for teaching three different daily living skills to three young adults with developmental disabilities. The video-based instructional sequences (i.e., video rehearsal, video rehearsal plus photos,…

This site visit report reviews activities of Monadnock Developmental Services, Inc., a program serving people with developmental disabilities in one New Hampshire region. The report focuses on the development of employment services in the state and region, including system change strategies, practices being used to support people in jobs, and…

This study aims to understand the special needs of Asian Americans with developmental disabilities living in the Chicago (Illinois) metropolitan area. Findings are intended to help service delivery systems meet the needs of this population through culturally effective services. The study acknowledges that there are differences among Asian ethnic…

This report responds to a North Dakota legislative mandate to study the state's early childhood tracking system for children who are at risk for developmental delays. Introductory sections summarize critical definitions and relevant federal legislation (specifically Part H of Public Law 99-457). The North Dakota program is then reviewed. Nineteen…

This Policy Research Brief explores the strengths of qualitative research and the types of information it can make available to policymakers concerned with issues affecting persons with disabilities. The naturalistic methodology employed in qualitative research is described. Three specific studies using qualitative methodology are excerpted and…

This Texas state plan presents proposals for provision of services to people with autism. It is noted that less than 25 percent of the estimated 8,500 persons with autism in Texas are currently receiving services. Preliminary sections look at the nature of autism, the numbers of Texans with autism, the responsibilities of the Interagency Council…

This report provides a record of discussion during a workshop entitled "Assisting People with Developmental Disabilities To Speak Effectively for Themselves." Participants included developmentally disabled individuals, leaders from self-advocacy groups, paid staff, and volunteers. The discussion addressed three questions: (1) what works…

This pamphlet reprints the preface, contents, executive summary, and 27 recommendations from an extensive report on disability prevention issued by the Committee on a National Agenda for the Prevention of Disabilities. The summary notes that disability is a social, public health, and moral issue in addition to a medical issue. It cites statistics…

Eight children (ages 13 days to 5 years) with a diagnosis of Cornelia de Lange syndrome received audiologic evaluation consisting of immittance audiometry and auditory brainstem response audiometry to air and bone conducted "click" stimuli, as behavioral testing was unreliable due to patient age and/or developmental delay. Developmental…

This paper discusses economic, social, and political trends and values/beliefs that will affect the quality of life of persons with developmental disabilities and their families to the year 2000. The paper describes four plausible future scenarios: "America Revitalized"; "Post-Industrial Reformation"; "The Stressed Society"; and "The…

This text is directed toward service providers, advocacy groups, administrators, and other interested parties who are given the task of setting up independent living facilities for the developmentally disabled. Emphasis is placed on the group home concept of alternative living arrangements. Chapter 1 considers models for alternative residential…

The Bridge Reading Program, a developmentally based teaching method that uses logographs, the pairing of words with pictures, for teaching prereading skills as well as the basic concepts of reading in the context of reading itself, is described in this handbook. The first two chapters contain background information, a rationale for the program,…

This pilot study demonstrates the applicability of the job club concept for adults with developmental disabilities who have completed a vocational training program at Chicago City-Wide College (CCC). The pilot project, which served 26 students, operated in a business-like atmosphere with rules such as those found in workplaces. The job club…