When it comes to making the right choices for children with disabilities, families are the experts. To prove this point, the Hatton Project sponsored a grant wherein researchers interviewed members of 12 families of children with disabilities on factors that caused them to identify themselves as "successful." The results yielded eight lessons…

This fact sheet uses a question-and-answer format to summarize information on estate planning and trusts for parents of a child with mental retardation. Questions and answers address the following topics: the importance of careful financial planning for someone with mental retardation; how inheritances affect the child's eligibility for…

The handbook provides parents of children with disabilities guidance on planning for the child's future needs with special attention to resources and laws of Iowa. Section 1 gives a Future Planning Checklist and definitions of common legal terms. Section 2 addresses estates, trusts, and wills and provides common estate planning questions and…

This book is designed to help a Technology Advisory Council (TAC) get a start at helping children obtain a better education--an education that prepares them for adulthood in an information age society. The advisory council is a representative group of stakeholders, i.e., the people who are affected by decisions and those involved in implementing…

Intended for parents and legal guardians of mentally retarded persons, the manual provides guidelines for estate planning. An overview of definitions, causes, and prevalence factors in retardation is followed by reviews of the major financial assistance governmental programs such as Medicare, and Supplemental Security Income, and of legal…

The booklet offers suggestions for parents concerned with providing lifetime protection for a child with mental retardation. Emphasis is placed on the interrelationship between the child's prospective needs of social and/or economic supports and the formal mechanisms which can be brought to bear on them. Four major topics are addressed: (1)…

This manual is intended to assist families, teachers, and other personnel in helping disabled students make the transition from school to work and adult life. The first section provides an overview of the transition process and outlines a four-step transition model that consists of input and foundation, the actual transition process (which calls…

This issue of the "NICHCY News Digest" presents several articles designed to help parents of children with disabilities to plan their estate to best meet the needs of these children. The issue begins with an overview of the topic that discusses the following aspects: how the type of disability affects estate planning; considerations involved in…

Intended for use by parents of children and youth with disabilities, this guide offers guidelines for planning for a smooth transition into a new special education placement necessitated by a family move. The question-answer format addresses such questions as the following: "Will the school in my new neighborhood offer special education…

In 1992, the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Education jointly developed the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) Career Academy model, which provides a framework for implementation of an innovative vocational education program designed to keep dropout-prone students in school. The program, which combines military…

This resource book is designed to help parents help their children with the process of making decisions about college. It claims to help parents to: set high expectations for their children's future; know what college options are available; plan their finances with college in mind; and know what financial assistance may be available. These topics…

This document is a Spanish translation of a resource book designed to help parents help their children with the process of making decisions about college. Its purpose is to help parents to: set high expectations for their children's future; know what college options are available; plan their finances with college in mind; and know what financial…

Transition procedures in the Irvine Unified School District (California) are explained in a set of three pamphlets. In the first pamphlet, elements of the Individual Transition Plan are outlined. Also discussed are advocacy and the law, financial issues, support services offered by state and community agencies, services of national and state…

Issues in the provision of lifelong care for a handicapped son or daughter are discussed. Three types of guardianship are described: total guardianship, partial or limited guardianship, and collective guardianship/joint trust. Topics addressed include reasons for setting up a trust, specific trust provisions, terminating the trust, social security…

This report summarizes the findings and recommendations from the Children's Policy Project, which examined the child welfare system in Illinois. The report: (1) outlines the project's findings about the difficulties faced by existing child welfare services; (2) proposes ways to improve existing arrangements; (3) examines the fundamental problems…