Although community-based treatment strategies have gained in prominence, recipients of those services still suffer from negative labeling and public reactions. To investigate differential effects of labels and/or descriptions of handicaps on attitudes toward disabilities, two studies were conducted. In the first study, 140 college students (65%…

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has become an issue that schools must understand, especially in terms of the legal requirements of educating students who contract this disease. In a review of some recent court cases involving children with AIDS, this paper focuses on how to educate these children. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,…

This resource directory begins with a list of U.S. Department of Education Regional Civil Rights Offices, which offer assistance on legal interpretation of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), followed by a list of public and private groups providing general assistance to handicapped persons. The third section lists agencies that focus on…

Based on a doctoral dissertation, "Teachers' Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons, completed at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Case material from an anthropological field study of 57 blind adults in Tel-Aviv is used to illustrate the contradictions that blind Israelis face in the current transitional period from traditional segregation and dependent roles to an indeterminate type of integration and independence. (Author/JW)

Describes the experience of a high school student in Swaziland who donated time to accompany institutionalized children on weekly outings. Discusses his initial repulsion by the children's physical impairments and his development of compassion which grew out of his experiences with one young boy, Mbuso. (GEA)

This brief paper summarizes requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 related to workplace accommodations for persons with musculo-skeletal disorders. The following topics are addressed: (1) the relevance of the ADA to people with musculo-skeletal disorders; (2) employment provisions of the ADA to protect individuals with…

Even in the 1990s, little research has focused on how local media can more often and more accurately cover the disability community and disability issues. Some positive news coverage arose in the late 1980s because of the disability community's growing status as a minority group striving for equal civil rights. Other positive coverage reflected…

The number of students with disabilities entering higher education continues to increase, and there is a concomitant rise in the number of disability accommodation grievances filed in institutions, with the U.S. Office of Civil Rights, and through the legal court system. It is important that faculty members know about disability law. Faculty…

This report from the United States Commission on Civil Rights focuses specifically on the efforts of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to enforce Title II, Subtitle A of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disability by public entities such as state and local governments. The report evaluates DOJ's…

The review of literature on portrayal of disability in books, television, film, and classroom media emphasizes their reinforcement of stereotypic attitudes long held by the public and concludes that initiation of accurate, nonstereotypic portrayals of the disabled on television is long overdue. (MC)

Examined 326 nonhandicapped college students' (NHCS) impressions of social changes occurring as a result of legislation and special college programs for the physically handicapped. Results indicated NHCS perceived certain limited, positive changes on the personal level as well as on the part of the administration, faculty, and student body.…

Recent focus on litigation and administrative concerns for the handicapped focus on the right to recreation and participation in sports. Statutory and regulatory requirements, physical education and athletics requirements, enforcement of Section 504 rights, and planning for compliance are discussed. (MLW)

This narrative describes the case of Richard Lapointe, a man with Dandy-Walker syndrome (a congenital brain malformation resulting in a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull), who was accused of homicide. The questionable practices of the police in acquiring a confession are recounted. The narrative discusses the court appeals process and…

Discusses the three prevailing theoretical frameworks for understanding students with disabilities: the functional limitations framework, the minority group paradigm, and social constructivism. Argues that to view disability as a social construction is to think inclusively, which acknowledges the power of environmental, structural, and cultural…