Disabled adults have less access to decent schooling, housing, work, and transportation than anyone in this country. It is up to every citizen to remove hidden barriers to the handicapped while waiting for Congress to pass legislation that would remove legal barriers to discrimination against this group. (Author/GC)

This article reviews how the term "self-determination" has been defined and conceptualized, examines misperceptions of the term that may have contributed to the exclusion of people with severe disabilities, and seeks to find common ground to move forward to promote self-determination for people with severe disabilities. (Author/PB)

Reviews the impact of eugenics on people with disabilities and the danger that they will be further devalued in a world of increasing genetic manipulation. Margaret Mead's concept of providing opportunities for all people to learn how to participate wholly in society and the need for an ethical revolution are discussed. (CR)

In this humorous article, a man with autism discusses his struggles with the world of employment despite his cum laude degree from Yale University. The underemployment of people with disabilities is highlighted, along with the lack of "people skills" that individuals with autism have, which creates a barrier to employment. (CR)

This article uses a short story by Jack London to discuss the classification of individuals with mental retardation and argues that mental retardation and its various definitions are manifestations of the typological thinking that inevitably creates a simplistic and misleading aggregation of people with very diverse needs and characteristics.…

This article explores implications of people's interpretations of communicative efforts by people with severe disabilities. Recent initiatives to support and promote self-determination are critically assessed as possibly functioning to limit self-determination. Use of preference assessments and behavior supports is discussed as a key to…

Great Britain's teachers with disabilities face discrimination in obtaining and retaining employment. To achieve disability equality and integration, a campaign is needed to change regulations for medical fitness to teach, develop an equality perspective across the whole curriculum, and force the government to allocate money to include disabled…

A man with autism discusses the need to accept autism instead of seeking a cure, help people with autism to the point where they can help themselves, and ensure adaptations are provided in inclusive schools. He advocates closing residential institutions, ending employment discrimination, and joining the disability rights movement. (CR)

This commentary discusses the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the success the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has had in enforcing the ADA for people with mental retardation. Cases the EEOC has won against discriminatory employers are described, and the need for ongoing efforts is emphasized. (CR)

The meaning of the label "mentally retarded" is discussed with two adults who have been labeled mentally retarded and have spent a significant portion of their lives in residential facilities, and their stories are contrasted with R. Edgerton's classic study, "The Cloak of Competence." (PHR)

This article discusses attributes of healthy human service systems and the importance of strong sexual self-advocacy by people with disabilities. It outlines how negative attitudes can have traumatizing effects on people with disabilities and argues that by developing positive attitudes a new era of healthy sexual development can begin. (Contains…

This essay argues that ideas circulated by Blatt and Dybwad, two scholars who exposed the plight of people labeled "retarded," can be illustrated in certain inclusive education practices and reinforced and refined in various critical narratives about mental retardation, particularly in autobiographical accounts of people with…

Intended as a training manual for medical, educational, and institutional staff who work with disabled adolescents and adults, the booklet seeks to provide basic knowledge and dispel common myths surrounding sexuality and disability. Translated from Swedish, chapter titles and selected subtopics are as follows: (1) "Sexuality and Disability:…

This paper presents rationale, strategies, and recommendations that the National Council on Disability believes are essential to how President George W. Bush and the new Administration can fulfill America's promise to its 54 million citizens with disabilities. President Bush is urged to install a disability friendly Administration, give disability…