Canada's school-to-work transition efforts have failed too many youth and adults because there has not been a framework for essential life and work skills for all to learn. These skills are needed to complement the academic and technical skills now required for completion of formal education and training. The Blueprint for Life and Work Design,…

To fight rampant consumerism (Martha Stewart Inc.), reduce the divorce rate, prevent cancer and heart disease, and ensure domestic tranquility, educators should bring back home economics. Workers must put more energy into the home front, and we must begin teaching our children how to live well on less. (MLH)

The mandated transition content of Individualized Educational Programs for 68 Arkansas high school students with disabilities was rated using a checklist of outcomes and life skills. Many plans were unclear regarding residential, postsecondary education, and employment goals, and important skill areas were overlooked. The checklist is presented…

This report evaluates a program funded under Chapter 1, Part B, of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act in New York (New York). The New York City Division of Special Education administers the Institutionalized Facilities Program to provide instruction to neglected and delinquent children and adolescents residing in group homes and…

The Transition to the World of Work program of the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Public Schools emphasizes developing functional skills and the ability to apply these skills outside the school. The ultimate goals of the program are to help students obtain meaningful, paid employment and function successfully in the community. The program provided…

The Child Development Rating Scales (CDRS) is a parent-administered adaptive behavior assessment instrument for use with children whose developmental age is birth through 5 years and whose chronological age is birth through 8 years. The scale was developed in order to conduct research on parents' abilities to assess a wide range of skills in their…

The article discusses recommended adaptive behavior scales for use with hearing impaired, visually impaired, and multihandicapped sensory impaired individuals. Assessment instruments developed and used in the National Independent Living Skills Project, which have applicability across sensory impaired populations, are also described. (Author/JW)

A study examined the impact of specialized, residential camp programs on children and youth with disabilities. Case studies were used to describe the real-life context of program effects and to explore various effects in situations where there may be no clear, single set of outcomes for all participants. Fifteen specialized residential summer camp…

This paper studied contextual barriers inhibiting implementation of the Life-Centered Career Education/Employability Enhancement Strategies curriculum, which contains career education assessment and instructional materials for high school students with mild disabilities. Barriers included competing administrative commitments, scarcity of…

The Transition Competence Battery for Deaf Adolescents and Young Adults consists of six subtests related to employment and independent living, and uses booklets and videotapes/videodisks with questions presented in sign language. Comparison of alternative formats indicated that group administration of the multiple-choice format produced acceptable…

This report evaluates a program funded under the Educational Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA), Chapter 1, Part B, in New York (New York). The Program for Neglected and Delinquent Children, District 75/Citywide Institutionalized Facilities Program provides after-school supplementary instruction in prevocational skills, activities of daily…

The effectiveness of six microcomputer programs designed for the secondary to adult population to teach concepts associated with daily living skills (vocations, elementary budgeting, money management assessment, banking, and home safety) was studied. These programs were field tested in special education classrooms in three different school…

During 1982-83, the first of three projected program cycles, the Title VII English as a Second Language, Special Education Developmental Approach Curriculum Project (ESL-SEDAC) provided direct instruction to 246 handicapped limited English proficient students in schools throughout New York City. Resource assistance, staff development, and parent…

The working poor are typically defined by researchers as individuals who work at least part of the year and earn less than a given percentage of the federal poverty level. This definition tends to understate the problem. In 1997, 15.8 million employed parents had incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The federal Earned Income Tax…

A two-year holistic transition training program for persons with learning disabilities in Israel was carried out in a residential setting and included vocational training, activities of daily living, educational activities, and personal adjustment counseling. Follow-up two years after program completion indicated that trainees were generally…