Children with disabilities are at increased risk of health risk factors including obesity, often because of low levels of physical activity and limited participation in sports. However, organized adaptive sports programs are increasingly available for individuals with disabilities. This article provides recommendations for establishing successful…

The Social Security Administration is funding a random assignment evaluation of six demonstration projects to improve employment and other outcomes for youth ages 14 to 25 who are either receiving disability benefits or are at high risk of receiving them in the future. This report reviews the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) projects, located…

To increase safety and minimize the risk of interpersonal violence, it is critical that women with disabilities and Deaf women have an opportunity to identify whether or not abuse is happening in their lives. Awareness and knowledge of what constitutes abusive behaviors is an essential first step in addressing interpersonal violence. This article…

"Building Your Program" is intended to help mental health authorities, agency administrators, and program leaders think through and develop Supported Education. The first part of this booklet gives you background information about the Supported Education model. Specific information about your role in implementing and sustaining Supported Education…

In 2000, the California State Legislature passed what is now known as the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA). This effort was designed to provide a stable funding source to counties for juvenile programs that have been proven effective in curbing crime among juvenile probationers and young at-risk offenders. The Corrections Standards…

Addresses the feasibility of developing rural community transition councils to improve transition services for students with disabilities. Describes the role of local transition councils in relation to the context of rural communities and transition services. Includes suggestions for enhancing community cohesiveness and community capacity to…

This manual aims to help communities develop a plan to improve services to children from birth to 3 years of age who are chronically ill or disabled, and their families. Section I provides background information needed to begin a Community Approach to an Integrated Service System (CAISS) committee in a community. It addresses the issue that…

The guidelines discuss ways to organize effective Community Advisory Committees (CACs) as required by California special education legislation. The CAC, it is explained, is composed of parents, handicapped pupils or adults, professionals, and interested citizens. Six functions are outlined, and potential effects on the district and the…

Information is given to help program planners develop strategies for community sports programs for disabled individuals. Suggestions on funding, participant identification, training procedures, transportation, and mainstreaming are discussed. (DF)

A pilot project in rural Mississippi provided supported employment services to five handicapped persons. The project combined professional resources available through a community-based developmental disabilities program with existing community resources and social network systems. Project components, project development, and individual client…

The manual focuses on the development of a school-level home/school information system to improve communication and understanding of special education programs. A step-by-step plan for developing such a system is addressed in terms of five major topics (sample subtopics in parentheses): basic information gathering (surveys and needs assessment),…

This article describes the People to People program initiated by the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The program requires students enrolled in introductory special education courses to spend a minimum of 10 hours working with children or families in 1 of 7 local programs. Guidelines for developing such a program are offered. (DB)

Four papers focus on the processes involved in developing a community team for providng services to handicapped preschoolers. Jerry Elder and Elynor Kazuk review steps in beginning a community team approach in "Getting Started," including the mechanics of planning and conducting an initial meeting to explain the advantages of collaborative…

The workbook suggests a concrete procedure for initiating a cooperative effort to collect and summarize information so that plans can be made for serving handicapped preschoolers. Once the workbook is completed, it can be used as a baseline for evaluating the progress of community activities, to make revisions in the plans and to share changes…

The report documents the achievements of the Parent Information Center, an information and referral service for parents of handicapped children. Documented are the center's relationships with community agencies, presentations, participation in parent advisory boards at the local level, interagency cooperation, consumer outreach, staff training,…