Parent groups have evolved from providing direct services to mentally retarded persons to advocacy efforts. Continued activities should focus on program quality monitoring, legislative and governmental action, and, if necessary, litigation. (CL)

A parent-to-parent support program was begun to provide early support for parents of handicapped children. New parents are carefully matched with helping parents, who have been trained in communication, resource finding, and referral making. (CL)

The mother of a 7-year-old boy with osteogenesis imperfecta describes arrangements made with an elementary school to place the boy in a regular first grade class. (KW)

The "Parent Speakers Program" combats misunderstanding about the nature of disabilities, misconceptions regarding the disabled, and stereotypes about disabled persons held by the community. Parents present factual information regarding disability; following the presentation, a discussion time and question/answer period is set aside to…

Intended for the parent/guardian of a disabled child, the article relates the concept of consumer involvement to the attainment of educational, therapeutic, or mental health services for children. The importance of parents' groups is stressed, and steps for the parent to take as a child's advocate are listed. (SBH)

Parents of disabled children throughout the country are organizing to find appropriate employment opportunities for their children by: writing proposals and obtaining funding for employment programs; improving in- school vocational programs for special needs students; advocating earlier vocational education; preparing work settings for supported…