This case study is based on a 1988 site visit to the Orion Community, in which a group of nondisabled and disabled people have chosen to live and work with each other in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Orion's founding is described, beginning with an informal support group of professionals, parents, advocates, and members of Camphill (agricultural…

The report, one of a series describing innovative practices in integrating people with disabilities into community life, describes the Gig Harbor (Washington) group home which serves five severely retarded adults. The home is staffed by five people, two teams and the Director, with each team living in the house on alternate weeks. Topics covered…

This paper reviews recent literature related to co-worker involvement in non-sheltered community-based employment programs for persons with mental retardation. Discussion of co-worker roles is categorized into six areas: training, associating, befriending, advocating, evaluating, and information giving. Also discussed are other variables…

Early childhood special education (ECSE) program leaders in Minnesota were surveyed to contrast perceptions of programs for children age birth to 3 with those for children 3 to 6. Of the 8,550 children served in such programs, survey responses reflected 64 percent. Survey results are presented for: (1) settings--home, community, and ECSE…

Much of today's multicultural education is ethnocentric and has little apparent concern for cross-cultural contacts, our best hope in ameliorating racism. Increasingly, multiculturalism exalts particular racial and ethnic pride at the expense of social cohesion of the American society as a whole. However, the notion of a "common American…

This resource guide was compiled to provide information about including learners with severe disabilities in general education classes and school community life. The guide includes resources about successful inclusive education models and strategies, as well as materials that provide a sound rationale and empirical support for inclusion. The…

A call for new coalitions to combat the racism and mindless materialism that divides America in the hope of reaffirming a sense of purpose and a will to justice for all Americans. (EH)

The paper distinguishes American and Canadian applications of the terms "mainstreaming" and "integration" in relation to placement of exceptional children in settings which foster interaction between them and their non-handicapped peers such as regular classes in neighborhood schools. The two terms are seen to represent…

This study investigated whether dialogue journal writing between hearing and hearing-impaired writers is an effective way of developing social relations between school peers. The project involved 37 teachers of the hearing-impaired and 127 completed journals written by students, aged 10 to 18 years, with at least a third grade reading level.…

The paper describes the development and psyhometric validation of an instrument to measure co-worker involvement with employees with handicaps in supported employment settings. The Co-worker Involvement Instrument contains 10 items pertaining to physical integration, social integration, vocational integration, training, associating frequency,…

This study describes varying types of nonhandicapped co-worker interactions with supported employees. The sample included 341 supported employees with mental retardation served by community rehabilitation facilities in Illinois. Results indicated that co-workers interact extensively with persons who are mentally retarded. These interactions…

This paper reconsiders some of the ways in which black American psychology has been theorized and researched, and proposes some alternative models. Black personality is in part an adaptation to the political contours of racism, the cumulative representation of the effects of racism over four centuries. However, the only systematic statements of…

A study of the linguistic proficiency and academic achievement of grade 3 students from different ethnic backgrounds included three groups: (1) ethnic minority students who spoke no French at home; (2) Haitian students who spoke French and Creole at home; (3) monolingual French speakers. All students attended schools in the French sector of the…

Elderly housing has become a special concept in which level of activity, social support, and social integration may be more important than square footage or closet space. An increased concern among housing specialists has been the ability of traditional senior housing to meet the needs of frail tenants who have "aged in place." As…

The Personal Integration Inventory is a "survey" that can be used to look at the life of a single developmentally disabled individual and the extent to which s/he is becoming integrated into his/her community. It focuses on the day-to-day experiences and interactions of people who live in community settings and should be completed by…