This report describes the closure process for Brandon Training School, Vermont's only public institution for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, until it was closed in 1993. The report was developed through a review of documents and interviews with state administrators, local program directors and staff members, former…

Analysis of the survey responses of 26 residential schools for the deaf found such positive literacy practices as counselors reading to children individually, supervising homework, and encouraging children to write letters and read independently. However, in many residences, materials were not regularly rotated and group storybook reading was not…

Describes ways in which the Internet, especially the World Wide Web, has been used by students at a residential British school for students with cerebral palsy and severe, or profound and multiple, learning difficulties. The effort's rationale, teaching techniques, and evaluation methods are discussed. A glossary of Internet terms is attached. (DB)

Summarizes a British study on the education of children in residential homes, special education units, community homes, and observation and assessment centers. Concludes that changing attitudes may be the most effective way to improve education, particularly professionals' low expectations of the achievement of these children. (SK)

Staff of special schools are increasingly exposed to violent behavior, in the absence of policy directives from local education authorities and through ambivalent social attitudes in a society which demands that these children be contained and controlled but judges staff responses to the children by the same yardstick applied to mainstreamed…

The "full-service utilization through an exit orientation" model initiated by a residential school for students with blindness aims to provide students access to a full array of services to meet their needs at a given time; service changes as students' needs change; and coordination among school district staff, residential school staff, and…

This article on the changing role of residential schools for students with visual impairments considers residential schools' emerging role as resource and demonstration centers, working with local schools to combine resources and increase success of mainstreamed students, and their potential roles in information and referral services and research.…

The education and related services provided by the Ohio Veterans' Children's Home (OVCH) to its 211 residents (ages 6 to 19) were evaluated. Children in the home arrive either by placement through a public agency or by private placement, and the average length of stay is about a year. Approximately half of the children appear to have severe…

A British residential school for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties set up a class for those children presenting with complex learning needs, including autism, within the school. The special class was observed over a number of weeks and the boys especially benefited tremendously in their social/emotional development and learning.…

Provides an overview of litigation in which courts have addressed the extent to which costs can be considered in determining appropriate programs for children with disabilities. (MLF)

A national survey of teachers of the hearing impaired (n=313) in either nonintegrated classes in residential schools and day programs, or in integrated settings in regular public schools, or in itinerant programs examined perceptions of the competencies most critical to their job. Similarities and differences in teacher competencies across service…

This survey of 39 state boards of education and state schools for the hearing impaired found that policies regarding HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) vary in comprehensiveness from brief paragraphs to detailed instructions. Many policies were judged to provide insufficient guidance for the residential…

A study examined circumstances leading to residential school placements. Findings revealed wide variations in the use of residential schools by 21 local English authorities and conflicting views between and within authorities on the suitability of such placements. Parents' experiences were characterized by a lack of support in their…

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Division of Special Education (DSE), per Missouri Revised Statute 162.1136, conducts an annual study of the educational status of eligible blind/visually impaired students and reports the findings to the Missouri Legislature on December 1st each year. The information contained in…

This report is a program planning document for the South Dakota School for the Deaf and the South Dakota School for the Visually Handicapped. First, it reviews the history and current status of the schools and then presents information on the planning process, which included the two schools, the South Dakota Board of Regents, and the state…