The role of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in vocational rehabilitation and employment for people with disabilities is examined. The ILO's recent emphasis on community-based training and employment programs, social reintegration of disabled citizens through self-employment and union-generating activities, and special programs for…

The history of South Africa's four English-speaking open universities is reviewed in the context of increasing numbers of black students and the rise of progressive research and teaching. Additional steps the universities can take to advance the end of apartheid include making facilities available to democratic movements and encouraging critical…

This study of the social interactions of 37 adults with severe disabilities in 18 supported employment programs found that workers in individual and enclave programs had more contact with nondisabled persons than did members of work crews, whereas there were no differences between individual and enclave sites. (Author/JDD)

This reflective commentary by the author of EC 607 584 points out that discussion about inclusion of students with severe disabilities should focus on how it may address the contextually complex variables that support effective instruction for all students. Teachers should be given the flexibility to implement curricula that result in different…

A theoretical model used in a 10-year study of 2 communities of Canada Natives affected by hydrocarbon development focused on responses ranging from social integration to social isolation. Privatized responses increased at one site and communitarian responses at the other. Avoidance responses decreased at both sites. (SK)

This study, involving 49 adults with Down syndrome living with their families, explored the relationship of diet, exercise, disability status, and social integration to Body Mass Index (BMI), an indicator of excess weight and health status. BMI was found to be related to friendship, access to recreation, and social opportunities. (Author/CR)

Interviews with 182 American Indians in Oklahoma examined the extent to which they were communicatively engaged within and outside the Indian community and the relationship between these two areas of communication and psychological and functional integration into mainstream society. Intraethnic and interethnic communication were positively…

Strengths and limitations of culture-specific multicultural counseling perspectives are reviewed and critiqued. Individuals and families and the various cultures they participate in are not static. A new generation of culturally relevant therapies and therapists must find the right balance between culture-specific perspectives and the specific…

Reviews the literature on the social integration of people with intellectual disability. Describes a support model in Italy which views self-esteem as resulting from the social integration of service users as a peer group rather than as individuals, while encouraging independence in the form of paid employment. (DB)

This study examined effects of a child's diagnosis (autism vs. Down syndrome), age, and current educational placement on parental perceptions toward inclusion. Parents of Down Syndrome children tended to endorse full-time inclusion, whereas parents of children with autism endorsed part-time mainstreaming. Parents of younger children and parents of…

Describes the explosion in intergenerational programs linking school children and seniors in Ontario and in other Canadian provinces. Discusses program benefits, form and content of programs, service-reciprocity programs, age segregation in today's society, and social context for the increase in programs. United Generations Ontario is dedicated to…

Explores the relationship between elite, independent, white boarding schools and postsecondary opportunity for African Americans, examining whether black graduates are academically and socially prepared for white colleges. Data from journals, observations, questionnaires, and interviews with black female boarding school graduates indicate that the…

Analysis of responses to a new scale evaluating parent perceptions of inclusive educational placements for students with significant cognitive disabilities found that parents (N=460) of children currently in special day classrooms were positive regarding possible social benefits of inclusion but apprehensive regarding the quality of educational…

This study observed the social/cognitive play of 46 young children who were deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH). With D/HH partners, children engaged primarily in constructive play, but in groups that included both D/HH and hearing partners, they engaged most frequently in dramatic play. Results suggest that group play varies according to the hearing…

Investigates patterns of father involvement and the influence of acculturation in a sample of Indian immigrant families. Results, based on naturalistic observations of 40 families, revealed three types of fathers: engaged, caretaker, and disengaged. Disengaged belonged to the least acculturated families, whereas the most acculturated were the most…