Described is an empowerment and self-advocacy training program for individuals with disabilities and parents of young children with disabilities, called Partners in Policymaking. Discussed are first-year activities, program evaluation data from participants, and both quantitative and qualitative short-term outcome data collected from first-year…

Describes a model implemented by the Little Rock (Arkansas) school district that focused on the transition of children with special needs from preschool and home-based programs into district kindergarten. The model's main emphasis was on cooperating with and empowering all parents to act as independent and informed advocates for their children.…

Discusses the development of self-advocacy in adolescents with learning disabilities and describes eight guidelines for creating collaborative communications among teachers, parents, and students. Guidelines stress the importance of using portfolios for monitoring progress, encouraging parents to volunteer, having students evaluate themselves, and…

This article describes the establishment of Individual Development through Employment, Assessment, and Learning (IDEAL), a summer transition program for adolescents with blindness or visual impairments in Pennsylvania. The program emphasizes independence, work exploration, and social skills development. Data from participants, parents, and staff…

This article explains how administrators make it possible for their staff to initiate and implement advocacy efforts on behalf of students with special needs. A step-by-step series of actions and decision points are described to support the implementation of an innovative student-led Individualized Education Program process. (Contains 7…

As a statewide initiative, New Jersey has been hosting teen leadership conferences for students with disabilities. The focus of the conferences is to address skills necessary to be successful in school and for transition to life after high school. The conferences are held throughout New Jersey at universities and colleges. Students with…

Using a dialogue journal during a school year helped a 10th-grade student focus on skills that build responsibility and self-reliance. The Expanded Core Curriculum (Hatlen, 1996) addresses disability specific skills that include compensatory and social interaction skills. Providing instruction in organization, time management, and self-advocacy…

Parent and self advocacy for the disabled is discussed, particularly in relation to issues where parents and children frequently have conflicts. Four major areas of conflict are identified: independence, peer group identification, sexuality, and goal setting for adult life. (SB)

This study characterized individual advocacy performance differences of 3 individuals with developmental disabilities and 21 parents before and after participating in training programs called Partners in Policymaking. A three group taxonomy of advocate development (beginner, involved, and activist) is suggested. (DB)

The nature of existing professional approaches to working with people with mental handicaps is explored, focusing on traditional medical and educational approaches and emerging styles including self-advocacy and normalization. Development of a range of lifestyle opportunities for people with mental handicaps is supported, and implications for…

Adults with mental retardation (n=392) involved in self-advocacy groups completed the Life Choices Survey. Findings indicated that this group indicated more choice opportunities than most adults with mental retardation and that total choice availability varied with level of disability and type of living arrangement but not by age or gender.…

This discussion first reviews efficacy studies and models for word finding remediation in children and adolescents, and then offers principles and objectives of a threefold intervention model which addresses word finding remediation, self-advocacy instruction, and compensatory programing. (DB)

Highlights ways that prospective employees with visual impairments can alleviate employers' safety concerns by demonstrating how they will function safely in the workplace, by illustrating their training in safety procedures and in using job-related equipment, and by describing their adaptive safety techniques, particularly if taking care of…

This article explores the practice of social inquiry in professional work, drawing from the democratic ethics of John Dewey. It explains how Dewey viewed inquiry as free, cooperative, and practical and concludes with a description of advisory work within the self-advocacy movement as an example of Deweyan democracy in action. (Contains…

This article summarizes relevant research on students who are deaf in higher education and suggests directions for educational researchers interested in enhancing the academic success and retention of students who are deaf in higher education programs. The need for improved career education, academic accommodations, and self-advocacy skills are…