This report on a project called Performance Assessment for Self-Sufficiency (PASS) covers activities conducted in the first stage of expert system development: the acquisition of knowledge to be used as the foundation for the expert system prototype. The project is developing an information system for anticipating the service needs of young…

A needs assessment determined the need for independent living skills for high school students with severe disabilities, as perceived by the students (n=45), their parents (n=38) and their teachers (n=7). Results revealed that the students believed that their lives were steadily improving, that they were more satisfied than dissatisfied with the…

This book focuses on transition--the facilitation of the postsecondary adjustment of students, particularly those with disabilities, to work, leisure, and independent functioning in the community. Chapter 1 reviews definitions of transition, highlights a transdisciplinary transition model, and reviews federal legislation to facilitate transition.…

This manual describes 100 ways to make a commitment to transition via Individual Transition Goals for students with disabilities. The goals cover five basic transition areas: (1) communication and problem solving; (2) daily living; (3) securing and keeping a job; (4) career awareness; and (5) self-determination. To help meet those objectives, 100…

This report discusses the community-based resources that may be available to regular and special education teachers serving visually impaired students in rural areas. It notes the national shortage of teachers qualified to teach children with visual impairments and suggests that rural teachers will have to devote some effort to seeking out…

Provides a technology for addressing the following questions in teaching/training exceptional individuals: (1) what to teach; and (2) how to teach it. Uses behavioral training techniques to teach and help develop functional skills. (BJV)

Discusses theoretical bases and practical applications of therapeutic leisure and recreation programs in assisting children with mild, moderate, severe, and profound handicaps to become more accepted by their normal peers. Examples show how such activities can be designed to create an environment to facilitate the educational treatment of…

The Summer Transition Training Project was designed to address the needs of visually impaired adolescents and young adults by providing training in transitional and rehabilitation teaching to educators of the visually impaired and to rehabilitation professionals in six western states. This paper describes program design, implementation, and…

A transitional planning model implemented at St. Joseph's School for the Blind in Jersey City, New Jersey, incorporates a broad conceptualization of transition that includes social skills, independent living skills, and overall competence in adjustment to the community. The model considers parental involvement, advocacy, and leadership as…

This paper describes implementation of a transition program which resulted in the successful movement of eight young mentally retarded adults from a segregated residential setting to a supervised apartment program in the community. The youth and their families visited the apartments and jointly made the decision to participate in the program. They…

This self-teaching workbook is designed to provide parents of developmentally disabled adolescents with basic information about the transition of severely handicapped youth from secondary school into community living. An initial parent quiz is followed by six chapters which address the following topics: (1) "What Is Transition?"; (2)…

Designed for small-group inservice training at a Connecticut state school, the working manual offers a philosophical framework and a collection of practical ideas and techniques for educators working with severely disabled, multihandicapped persons toward the ultimate goal of community integration. Chapters have the following titles and emphases:…

This document presents the full revised course descriptions for Florida exceptional student education in grades 9-12. Courses incorporate the Florida standards for a special diploma. Requirements include a list of related benchmarks from the state standards for each level of functioning: independent, supported, and participatory. Introductory…

Interviews with 28 Hispanic and Black former foster youth in Los Angeles County (California) found that emancipating from foster care placed individuals at risk because of a lack of education, marketable skills, or general living skills. Relationships overshadowed skill development in participants' memories of independent living programs.…

Reviews current trends in curriculum programing that facilitate the transition of adolescents with handicaps into "everyday" community settings. Traditional curriculum models and instructional strategies have proved to be ineffective; recent models and strategies appear to be more promising. (Author/BJV)