A study investigated the perceptions of 78 special education teachers in Ohio about the implementation of a community-based, functional curriculum for students with severe disabilities. Teachers responded to a survey on their beliefs, perceptions about educational outcomes, levels of state and local support from educational agencies, how parents and the community felt about the program, barriers to program implementation, and the impact of staff development. Findings indicated that the majority of the teachers valued and supported the use of community based/functional curriculum. They saw the community as playing a key role in the implementation of the curriculum, which leads to outcomes such as a higher likelihood of student employment upon high school graduation, the development of better self-help skills, and an overall higher quality of life. The teachers felt that administrators understood and supported their efforts, but indicated that they are not receiving the necessary resources and funding for the most effective implementation of a functional curriculum. The most overwhelming barrier teachers reported was the inability of general education teachers to accept students with severe disabilities. The widespread existence of two separate systems of education, general and special, was considered to be a major concern. (CR)