The first National Conference for Parents of the Handicapped (Indianapolis, Indiana, 1980) is summarized. Contents of 11 workshop presentations are described, including parents' roles as advocates, parental concerns, the influence of diet on behavior, genetics, in home respite care, legal issues, and parent coalitions and organizations. An…

The manual describes development of a personal growth and peer support group for parents of developmentally delayed or disabled children which was designed to help parents adjust expectations about their infant or young child and to accommodate the handicap. Initial decisions regarding leader and participant characteristics and frequency and…

This final report summarizes a six-year project, the Northern California Coalition, which sought to provide information and training to families within their communities and to increase the capacity of community-based parent groups. The coalition was a collaboration of three parent-directed agencies serving families of children with disabilities…

This article reports results of a national survey of 629 veteran and 704 referred parents participating in Parent to Parent programs, noting the program's role as part of comprehensive family-centered services for parents of young children with special needs. The survey collected information about where programs are, services they provide, and…

Describes different home-schooling options available to children with disabilities. Services of a special-education consultant are reviewed, along with services of the Home School Legal Defense Association, an umbrella school that provides consulting services to home-schooling families, and a public school home-instruction program. (CR)

This paper examines issues of special needs advocacy in an international context and describes BRUSH (Brussels Support for the Handicapped), an advocacy organization in Brussels, Belgium. The possibility that advocacy is a culturally determined concept is raised. BRUSH is a group of families from the international community of Brussels who provide…

The author describes the Parent Advisory Council for Exceptional Children of Baltimore City, an urban center program designed to increase active parental participation through formal and informal training which emphasizes Black student/parent rights and due process. Parents participate in a 6 week intensive training program with activities…

Activities of Special Education Parent Teacher Associations (SEPTAs) and issues which concern their membership are reported, based on information from a survey of some of these organizations in 12 states. (PP)

This article discusses recent developments in the status of local, statewide and national advocacy groups and networks of parents of children with behavioral, mental and emotional disorders. Several groups of each type are described, along with lessons learned through experiences of local groups. Contact numbers for listed groups are offered. (PB)

The "special" quality of special education is the body of knowledge, skills, and attitudes which are used in the education and training of exceptional school children. In practice, these children have been those who public school systems could not or would not teach. The history of education for exceptional children is a simple story of massive…

Serving as a reference for parents and professionals who live and work with disabled children, this resource section lists state directors of special education, national disability-related organizations (United States and Canada), parent coalition groups, government agencies; professional organizations, a calendar of annual meetings, and a…

This resource section helps in locating information and services for children with disabilities. It lists information service agencies, advocacy agencies, parent-governed groups, government agencies, professional organizations, state directors of special education, schools for the disabled which advertised in the resource section, and a calendar…

The Parent Leadership Program team that created and facilitated a Local Liaison Learning Group between September 1998 and November 1999 gathered in mid-January 2000 to discuss what they had learned. The Learning Group was thought of by the Parent Leadership Program team as an applied research setting for investigating the conditions that support…

A national survey of parents (n=240) newly referred to Parent to Parent programs was conducted. These programs match an experienced parent of a special needs child in a one-to-one relationship with a newly referred parent. Newly referred parents preferred a wide range of supports, with the child's age and severity of disability affecting the need…

This article discusses cooperation between parents, family members, and professionals in advocacy efforts on behalf of students with emotional, mental, and behavioral disorders. Tips for parent-advocates and experiences of statewide parent networks are offered, as well as lessons and potential pitfalls experienced by professionals. (PB)