This article describes development and psychometric properties of the Community Living Attitudes Scale, Mental Retardation, a 40-item measure based on the input of self-advocates and focused on contemporary community living philosophies. Tested with 742 individuals, the measure's factor structure was confirmed, and subscales of Empowerment,…

The purpose of this study was to identify variables that facilitate the academic success of college students with learning disabilities. Twenty recent college graduates with documented learning disabilities were interviewed using a semi-structured format. An analysis of the transcripts of the interviews revealed eight common themes, many of which…

This article presents a handbook for students, school counselors, teachers, and parents. This handbook is designed as a guide to help students with disabilities take another step in preparing for "life after high school." It includes information to help students understand their strengths and identify the support and resources they need…

Eight mildly handicapped young adults were taught to discriminate whether or not possible violations of legal rights occurred in socially validated scenarios and, if so, to role-play a behavioral sequence to redress rights violations. With one exception, participants demonstrated generalization to four community role-play settings. (JW)

This article introduces a self-determination curriculum, Learning with PURPOSE, intended for adolescent students with disabilities or students at risk for failure. It identifies critical self-determination skills, defines self-determination, outlines the curriculum, and notes the curriculum's parent component. (DB)

This article defines self-advocacy, examines differences between high school and college settings, describes key components in a college-based self-advocacy curriculum, and highlights the primary responsibilities that students with learning disabilities face in making self-determination a reality in college. (DB)

The authors interviewed 25 lesbians with physical disabilities about their counseling experiences. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, the authors identified 9 themes. Five themes addressed participants' perceptions of their counselors: general satisfaction or dissatisfaction, counselors' general effectiveness, counselors' awareness and…

This article presents an interview with Ross Todd, director of research at Rutgers University's Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries. Todd talks about the impact of the Ohio study, based on student's evaluation of their media centers, and his quest to renew school libraries. He stresses that part of the renewal and continuous…

This article discusses the importance of early intervention advocacy and provides vignettes that illustrate sample early intervention advocacy issues from the perspectives of parents, teachers, and program administrators. Quick tips are provided for professionals as self-advocates and for family advocacy, along with legislative Web site resources.…

The Steps to Self-Determination curriculum model focuses on knowing oneself, valuing oneself, planning, acting, experiencing outcomes, and learning. It has been tested with 77 high school students having a variety of disabilities. Two related scales have also been developed: the Self-Determination Observation Checklist and the Self-Determination…

Six necessary program components to prepare gifted students with disabilities for productive adult lives are identified: provide challenging educational experiences along with supports, facilitate passion learning through enrichment activities, empower students through student-centered planning, develop self-advocacy, enhance positive social…

Describes the GOLD program, a successful model for teaching gifted adolescents with learning disabilities which includes both resource-room support and enrichment. The curriculum includes teaching about learning disabilities, self-advocacy, critical thinking, word processing, communication skills, and ethics. Time is provided for remedial and…

A preliminary evaluation of a recently developed multicomponent educational and support program for enhancing the self-determination of youth with disabilities found that participating students (18 young adults with mental retardation) in the classroom-based competency building sessions demonstrated improved choice-making, interpersonal problem…

Issues are discussed in the transition of students with learning disabilities from high school to employment or postsecondary education, focusing on the importance of providing instructional and counseling services to help students become self-sufficient, independent thinkers who can self-advocate and be responsible for their actions. (Author/JDD)

This article presents the findings of a research study on the quality of the learning experiences of youth with disabilities who participated in Wisconsin's Youth Apprenticeship (YA) Program--a rigorous two-year work-based learning program for high school juniors and seniors. The researchers identify key factors that enhance the capacity of youth…