An important task of special educators is helping students with disabilities develop their self-determination skills. Considerable evidence suggests, however, that the goal of providing these students with the motivation and sense of independence that leads to self-determined behavior has not often been achieved. A multiple-case design was used in…

Fifth grade students with learning disabilities receive a ten-week unit on learning styles and the special education process as part of their transition to the middle school. Developed by a learning center teacher and guidance counselor, the program is derived from the literature on self-determination and from the work of Mel Levine. The…

As the Higher Education Opportunity Act opens the door to more options and supports, more and more students with intellectual disabilities are "thinking college." That means high schools, colleges, and universities must be fully prepared to meet the needs of students with disabilities--and this comprehensive resource is just what they…

For students with mild to moderate, non-visible disabilities, navigating a college education without the support team they had in high school can be challenging. Help students become effective self-advocates and maximize their postsecondary possibilities with this cutting-edge book, which balances current research with the most practical guidance…

Student-directed IEPs are quickly gaining momentum in schools across the country--the proven benefits include higher academic achievement, enhanced student motivation, and increased communication and self-advocacy skills for students with disabilities. Now for the first time, there's a book that gives elementary and high school educators in-depth…

For people with disabilities, a good health and nutrition program can have life-changing results: more energy, increased knowledge, more confidence and self-esteem, and fewer serious health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This innovative, easy-to-implement curriculum is the perfect way to help adults build healthy…

All students can benefit from well-designed transition planning for college. With specific reference to those students identified for special education, middle and high schools have a responsibility under IDEA to focus on a range of transition interventions. Family stakeholders in a community need to work together to ensure the middle school and…

Reintegrating students with emotional and behavioral disorders from alternative school settings to the mainstream school environment presents significant challenges. Students are frequently unsuccessful when they return to home districts. Most researchers address the problem in a variable-centric manner, and explore specific student, teacher,…

This article focuses on teaching students specific disability related self-determination skills, rather than activities that can be used with non-specified populations. In this design, lesson plans are used and suggested as a systematic means of instruction for students with deficits in learning (i.e., learning disabilities, mild mental…

Special education literature abounds with a challenge to special educators to promote the acquisition of self-determination skills in their students. A critical component of self-determination that can be readily addressed in the school setting is self-advocacy. The authors believe that meeting the challenge of enhancing student's self-advocacy…

Self-determination for people with severe disabilities first appears in the 1972 writing of Benget Nirje, where he came to the realization that they could and should have a role in their own choices. Nirje's writings called for a wide range of actions that would enable them to better control their lives and destinies, including choice and control…

In 1997, the government of Ontario announced the establishment of the Learning Opportunities Task Force (LOTF) to develop and administer a series of pilot projects to enhance the transition of students with specific learning disabilities into postsecondary education, and to identify what supports, services and accommodations would assist these…

A popular term in contemporary special education circles is "empowerment," but what does it actually mean to be an empowered individual? Although many definitions exist in the literature and include such terms such as self-determination and self-advocacy, at the core of empowerment is the understanding that an individual is truly empowered the…

This document is a progress report on a British project designed to help disabled adults gain self-advocacy skills, becoming active consumers of the rights and benefits to which they are entitled. The aims of the project, which began in September 1988, are as follows: (1) promote staff development on advocacy among professionals working with the…

Thirty-two qualitative investigations of co-teaching in inclusive classrooms were included in a metasynthesis employing qualitative research integration techniques. It was concluded that co-teachers generally supported co-teaching, although a number of important needs were identified, including planning time, student skill level, and training;…