This article describes the establishment of Individual Development through Employment, Assessment, and Learning (IDEAL), a summer transition program for adolescents with blindness or visual impairments in Pennsylvania. The program emphasizes independence, work exploration, and social skills development. Data from participants, parents, and staff…

This article explains how administrators make it possible for their staff to initiate and implement advocacy efforts on behalf of students with special needs. A step-by-step series of actions and decision points are described to support the implementation of an innovative student-led Individualized Education Program process. (Contains 7…

Students with learning disabilities and other types of disabilities who attend post-secondary education settings may often require reasonable accommodations to succeed. While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is designed to protect students with disabilities from discrimination, many students are unaware of their rights and how to request…

This paper discusses the development of the Basic Skills Model, a theoretical framework that has enabled North Carolina educators to propose to the Department of Public Instruction the development of a curriculum for high school juniors and seniors with disabilities. The curriculum is designed to enable students to gain the necessary skills to…

Parent and self advocacy for the disabled is discussed, particularly in relation to issues where parents and children frequently have conflicts. Four major areas of conflict are identified: independence, peer group identification, sexuality, and goal setting for adult life. (SB)

This study characterized individual advocacy performance differences of 3 individuals with developmental disabilities and 21 parents before and after participating in training programs called Partners in Policymaking. A three group taxonomy of advocate development (beginner, involved, and activist) is suggested. (DB)

The nature of existing professional approaches to working with people with mental handicaps is explored, focusing on traditional medical and educational approaches and emerging styles including self-advocacy and normalization. Development of a range of lifestyle opportunities for people with mental handicaps is supported, and implications for…

Adults with mental retardation (n=392) involved in self-advocacy groups completed the Life Choices Survey. Findings indicated that this group indicated more choice opportunities than most adults with mental retardation and that total choice availability varied with level of disability and type of living arrangement but not by age or gender.…

This discussion first reviews efficacy studies and models for word finding remediation in children and adolescents, and then offers principles and objectives of a threefold intervention model which addresses word finding remediation, self-advocacy instruction, and compensatory programing. (DB)

Highlights ways that prospective employees with visual impairments can alleviate employers' safety concerns by demonstrating how they will function safely in the workplace, by illustrating their training in safety procedures and in using job-related equipment, and by describing their adaptive safety techniques, particularly if taking care of…

This article explores the practice of social inquiry in professional work, drawing from the democratic ethics of John Dewey. It explains how Dewey viewed inquiry as free, cooperative, and practical and concludes with a description of advisory work within the self-advocacy movement as an example of Deweyan democracy in action. (Contains…

As a statewide initiative, New Jersey has been hosting teen leadership conferences for students with disabilities. The focus of the conferences is to address skills necessary to be successful in school and for transition to life after high school. The conferences are held throughout New Jersey at universities and colleges. Students with…

Using a dialogue journal during a school year helped a 10th-grade student focus on skills that build responsibility and self-reliance. The Expanded Core Curriculum (Hatlen, 1996) addresses disability specific skills that include compensatory and social interaction skills. Providing instruction in organization, time management, and self-advocacy…

This training module was developed to educate personnel about the issue of self-advocacy by individuals with disabilities. The module includes workshop content (with side notes to the trainer in italics), overheads, and many handouts. Preliminary information includes module purpose and overall learning objectives, a module outline, materials…

For some students with mild or moderate disabilities, postsecondary education might include attendance at a community college, technical school, or 4-year college. From 1978 to 1991, the percentage of full-time college freshmen reporting disabilities more than tripled, with visual impairments and learning disabilities making up half the…