Federal legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504, and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, mandates that individuals with disabilities be integrated in all aspects of life from education to employment to independent living. A recent development involves a settlement reached between the United States and the…

This article describes a secondary analysis of variables from the National Longitudinal Transition Survey 2 (NLTS-2) database. Specifically, students with intellectual disability (ID) were compared to students with other disabilities regarding post-school transition goals listed on their IEPs/Transition Plans, contacts/referrals made to outside…

This project explores how discourses of difference sustain the separation of people with disabilities from community life and highlights the efforts of one organization, Passion Works, as members perform a counter-narrative of disability. Passion Works is a non-profit organization housed within a sheltered workshop sponsored by its local county…

The sheltered workshop model for the retarded is being changed to a non-sheltered community and business model of vocational services in Detroit, Michigan. Methods used included creation of their own businesses by rehabilitation companies and provision of job training and placement within businesses by an on-site trainer. (DB)

Ethnographic methods were used to examine functions of a clique and informal leaders in a work group at a sheltered workshop for mentally retarded adults. Two leaders, an instrumental leader and a socioemotional leader, served to maintain group cohesion and allow members to act outside of direct staff influence. (Author/DB)

Operation Heracles sought to promote the social and occupational advancement of workers with disabilities in sheltered workshops and occupational therapy centers in the Lower Rhine region. Preparation of workers for mainstream workplaces involved skills reviews, retraining, placement, and follow-up, with family participation. (SK)

A workhome was developed in which 20 adolescents with chronic autism live, work, and enjoy leisure activities in an interlinked environment. Residents have a sheltered but meaningful life without having to strive for "normality." This brief research report describes the workhome's residents, program of structured activities, staffing, and…

Ophthalmological screening was conducted on 113 clients in a work activity center for adults with mental retardation. Abnormalities that were neither refractive nor strabismic were found in 32 percent of clients. Findings suggest the value of conducting screenings in settings familiar to such clients. (Author/DB)

The proceedings of this 1984 hearing presents recommendations to improve services for mentally retarded citizens. A report on conditions in intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded is followed by statements of Senators L. Weicker, Jr., J. Randolph, and R. Stafford and by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human…

The project addressed the discrepancy between research (documenting the vocational potential of severely handicapped adults) and current services (which include an expanding national program of nonvocational day activity centers) with five coordinated components designed to improve, implement, and evaluate vocational services. The first component,…

This document explains the process by which the J. M. Foundation selected vocational programs for the disabled that would be designated as "excellent" and describes the programs selected. Applications for the designation were evaluated on benefits to clients, program productivity, client severity, and the quality of materials included with the…

Boatworks, a subsidiary of Stepping Stones Growth Center in Oakland, California, provides work experience to developmentally disabled persons and helps them learn skills useful in private sector jobs. Workers learn job responsibility, quality control, and work safety procedures and are paid according to productivity. (CB)

Twelve papers focus on post-school provision for mentally handicapped young people and adults in Great Britain. The following papers are presented: "Educational Opportunities for People with Severe Learning Difficulties" (S. Hegarty); "Further Education Provision for Students with Severe Learning Difficulties--Analysis of Survey…

Project ADVANCE currently provides vocational training to 26 deaf-blind adolescents and young adults attending Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. The project has developed community work sites in four different vocational options: (1) competitive employment, (2) a student operated small business, (3) sheltered enclave within…

The article describes the efforts of Project PATH (Progressive Approach to Training and Habilitation) to design a comprehensive training program for moderately and severely retarded adults in a sheltered workshop setting. (SBH)