Capabilities and limitations of 251 severely visually impaired persons (senior high school age or older) were assessed on a range of visual environmental adaptation problems to learn how they are organized and influenced. Factor analyses indicated that problems can be grouped on the basis of eight functional domains, among which an independent…

Although research has suggested that level of social stress relates to psychosocial problems in adolescents and that social stressors impact more on females than on males, past studies have not considered whether gender differences in stress are related to perception of stressfulness or higher levels of experience, and if any types of events…

Development of a psychosocial explanation of antisocial and delinquent behavior to guide prevention efforts has recently gained attention. This study considered several types of social stressors and compared their effects on levels of antisocial and delinquent behavior. Male and female adolescents (N=84) were surveyed for socioeconomic status,…

The California Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) is a comprehensive educational system designed to enable adult educators to develop and evaluate a life skills curriculum for competency based educational programs. The system comprises the CASAS Competency List, the CASAS Item Bank, the User's Manual, the Curriculum Index and Matrix, and…

The study developed a definition of "independent living" for handicapped individuals and evaluated the definition's seven domains using data provided by 3,758 handicapped members of the 1980 sophomore cohort of the High School and Beyond National Longitudinal Survey (N=14,553). The seven domains are: (1) self-care and advocacy skills;…

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of the context and process by which the Board adopted a policy, came to question that policy, and ultimately rescinded that policy, while maintaining legitimacy within its environment. In 1977, the Board of Directors of a large urban school district adopted a policy establishing successful…

The paper discusses the education of mildly handicapped students who will be able to live and work independently, but who will be unable to profit from a traditional high school program, postsecondary vocational training, or college. Three types of mildly handicapped adolescents are considered--students who lack adequate basic academic skills in…

The Texas Effectiveness Study is an evaluation of the effectiveness of special education programs and services in developing life skills related to the transition planning process for Texas special education. One of the three components of the Texas Effectiveness Study is a study of adult outcomes. This component was implemented in the summer of…

Youth with disabilities are particularly susceptible to dangerous outcomes associated with contemporary issues such as teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Several studies document the high degree of social, medical, and legal risk to which youth with disabilities are exposed. The extent to which public schools provide risk…

A program of English instruction to speakers of other languages (ESOL) designed specifically for students with disabilities is described. The program is based on the Ulpan philosophy, developed in Israel to teach Hebrew culture to immigrants. It is operated by a private organization serving individuals with disabilities, in two Philadelphia…

Survival Skills for Youth (SSY) is a life skills management program developed for out-of-school youth who have a history of failure in academic or employment settings, or who are considered at-risk for failure in the adult world of work. The skills taught are grouped into 10 areas, one skill category per workshop. The workshops include up to 15…

This document consists of materials used in a presentation on the Brown County (Kansas) Vocational Work Program to train students in general work behaviors and skills and to prepare them for paid employment in the community. Introductory materials describe the program's purpose, structure, and objectives. The text of specific regulations governing…

This report on a project called Performance Assessment for Self-Sufficiency (PASS) covers activities conducted in the first stage of expert system development: the acquisition of knowledge to be used as the foundation for the expert system prototype. The project is developing an information system for anticipating the service needs of young…

This document provides information on the Jones Center Vocational/Academic Program of the Granite School District (Utah), the purpose of which is to maintain or reintegrate students who are potential high school dropouts or dropouts into appropriate educational alternatives. Its mission statement is followed by a list of program components,…

In this study, 375 adolescents from the junior high and high school of a Midwestern, semi-rural community were surveyed to investigate: (1) developmental and gender differences in strategies that adolescents use to cope with family, school, and peer stressors; and (2) the relation between coping strategies and outcome. The students were divided…