The paper examines issues involved in providing instruction to severely handicapped individuals in their natural environments. Factors that influence the arrangements made for instruction in community environments are classified according to student factors (such as chronological age, post-school projections, and unique learning and performance characteristics); activity factors (complexity level and the extent to which features of the environment can be replicated); and logistical factors (staff-to-student ratios, transportation, and cost). A model is presented to provide a systematic strategy for determining natural cues and teaching procedures. Five steps in the model are identified: (1) selecting the skills to teach, (2) deciding whether a natural consequence should serve as the sole corrective procedure, (3) selecting relevant natural cues, (4) determining the types of teaching procedures to use in community environments, and (5) determining the data collection procedures that will result in meaningful programmatic change. (CL)