Included in the booklet on mental retardation and the law are reports on 11 new court cases and updated information on 35 court cases reported in previous issues. Court cases cover the following issues: architectural barriers, commitment, criminal law, education, employment, guardianship, protection from harm, sterilization, treatment, and zoning.…

The process followed in a Colorado school district to bring it into current compliance with the law. Unique to this approach were the importance and the advantages of using existing local resources. (Author/MLF)

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board has published a book of technical guidelines for barrier-free architecture that includes policy statements and their rationale, measured drawings, and specific directives. (Author/MLF)

In an effort to make the Berkeley campus more accessible to handicapped persons, a survey was taken of 66 buildings and the grounds. Further improvements demand the involvement of disabled people in the programming toward modification of the built environment. (Author/MLF)

It is clear that the intention of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 require both the Education Agency and the Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (VESID, in New York State) to jointly participate in the development of transition plans for students with disabilities as they prepare for employment…

Federal and state provisions designed to ensure equal opportunity for the handicapped are not capable of fulfilling that purpose. These provisions are pregnant with exceptions, exclusions, and limitations. Only by amending the Civil Rights Act can the handicapped be guaranteed equal opportunity. Available from Akron Law Review, School of Law,…

Discusses features of different types of door closers that reduce high opening forces. (MLF)

The author reports on homeless people in London who have conducted the largest ever research study of the barriers to employment and employability faced by the homeless. A group of eight "peer researchers"--all with a background of homelessness, all current volunteers at Groundswell UK, an organisation which promotes self-help…

In Argentina, few groups recognize the value of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) carries no significant weight in governmental and nongovernmental circles. It does not appear in any agenda, or in any suggestion or recommendation for policy-making, not even in proposals for…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe the emerging business discipline of organizational network analysis and its potential as a tool to guide efforts in creating awareness of where knowledge exists in an organization and how this expertise can be best tapped by an organization's workforce. Specific initiatives and activities that…

This study addresses issues related to mandatory versus optional service-learning assignments and presents findings from a study of an option-based service-learning program. Using qualitative data collected from students over two semesters, this study examines one of the biggest barriers students cite to successful participation in…

Students hold a surprising number of ideas about the Earth's structure and process. This paper begins with a discussion on the nature of understanding in the conceptually confined domain of geosciences. There then follows a report on a study of the ideas about a range of concepts relating to "crystals", "volcanoes",…

Introduction: Website accessibility is a problem that affects millions of people with disabilities. While most current accessibility initiatives target government or commercial sites, a growing segment of online content is being created by non-professionals. This content is often inaccessible to users with disabilities. Everyday inclusive Web…

The set of two case studies examines the supports for instructional improvement in two school districts through the experience of individual teachers who are trying to change their practice in accordance with the district's reform work. Our overarching research question for these case studies was: What supports this teacher in changing his or her…

Based on the importance of Response to Intervention (RTI) and Early Intervening Services (EIS) for state education agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) and many other stakeholder groups, Project…