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----------------------------------------------------------------------
(3) Tue 2 Mar 93 12:56p
By: Gordon Gillesby
To: All
Re: ANOTHER ADA SUMMARY 1/2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACCESS TO PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS - A MOVE TOWARD EQUALITY
by John Zbiegien
The Americans with Disabilities Act, has been heralded as landmark
legislation that will correct the exclusion and segregation suffered
by disabled individuals. It seems Congress understood that these
lofty goals could only be achieved by enacting comprehensive civil
rights protection aimed at eradicating discrimination at its very
core.
- Disability Defined -
Under the ADA, persons with disabilities are protected against
discrimination in the areas of employment, public accommodations,
government services and telecommunications. An individual with a
disability is defined as a person with "a physical or mental
impairment that substantially limits one or more major life
activities", has "a record of such an impairment" or is "regarded as
having such an impairment". This definition prohibits discrimination
against a person who has a qualifying impairment, has had such an
impairment in the past or is believed to have an impairment, even if
that belief is erroneous.
To substantially limit a major life activity, the impairment must
affect the person's ability to care for herself, perform manual tasks,
or engage in such basic activities as walking, hearing, speaking,
seeing, breathing, learning or working. A person may also be
disabled, within the meaning of the law, if there is a past history of
an impairment. A former cancer patient would qualify under this
definition. Under the last portion of the definition, an individual
may satisfy the disability requirement, without actually having a
disability, based on the beliefs of others. Satisfaction of any one
of these requirements is sufficient to qualify an individual as
disabled under the law.
- Discrimination in Public Accommodations -
The public accommodation provisions of the ADA prohibit discrimination
"In the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities,
privileges, advantages or accommodations of any place of public
accommodation".
Simply stated, a public accommodation cannot deny a disabled
individual the opportunity to purchase goods and services or make use
of a facility in a way that is different from that provided to other
individuals. To the extent required to ensure equal opportunity,
goods and services must also be offered in an integrated setting
"appropriate to the needs of the individual".
Public accommodations include such obvious places as hotels,
restaurants, theaters, grocery stores, museums, libraries, health
clubs, hospitals and zoos. Less obvious, but specifically included
are such businesses as laundromats, funeral parlors, gas stations,
pharmacies, dry cleaners, shoe repair services, day care centers and
private schools. This list is not exhaustive and many other
businesses are also covered under the law's general categories.
individual
- Barrier Removal -
One of the most significant aspects of the ADA is the requirement that
existing public accommodations must take affirmative action to remove
architectural barriers to make their facilities accessible to and
usable by, disabled individuals. Examples of barrier removal include
installing ramps, providing curb cuts at sidewalks and entrances,
widening doors, increasing the size of toilet stalls and installing
grab bars, re-positioning paper towel dispensers, lowering telephones
and providing accessible parking spaces.
The obligation to remove barriers, however, is not unlimited. If a
public accommodation can establish that the removal of a given barrier
is "not readily achievable", the removal is not required under the
law. The cost of the barrier removal required as well as the public
accommodations financial resources must be considered in determining
what is "readily achievable". Even if the public accommodation can
show that barrier removal is not required, it still has a duty to make
its goods and services available through alternative methods, if those
methods are readily achievable. Examples of appropriate alternatives
to barrier removal include such things as home delivery and curb side
service.
A public accommodation must also make modifications to its business
"policies, practices or procedures", when those modifications are
necessary to provide goods or services to individuals with
disabilities, unless doing so would "fundamentally alter the nature"
of the goods and services. For instance, a theater is required to
institute a policy of handling the wheelchairs of patrons that
transfer to fixed seating, while a department store may need to modify
a policy of allowing only one person in a changing room at a time if a
disabled person needs assistance in dressing.
In an effort to communicate effectively with clients or customers that
have hearing, speech or vision related disabilities, the ADA requires
that a public accommodation provide "auxiliary aids or services", such
as interpreters, assistive listening devices, telephone handset
amplifiers, open and closed captioning, telecommunication handset
amplifiers, open and closed captioning, telecommunication devices for
the deaf and videotext displays. The obligation to provide "auxiliary
aids or services" is suspended if the public accommodation can show
that doing so would "fundamentally alter the nature of the goods" or
services or result in "significant difficulty or expense". Nothing in
the ADA requires a public accommodation to provide its customers with
personal devices such as "wheelchairs, prescription eyeglasses or
hearing aids or services of a personal nature including assistance in
eating, toileting, or dressing".
Public accommodations are urged to pursue their barrier removal
efforts pursuant to the priority scheme established by law. First
priority should be given to providing access to the facility by
"installing an entrance ramp, widening entrances, and providing
accessible parking spaces". A public accommodation should then take
appropriate action to provide access to the goods and services it
provides as well as its restroom facilities.
- Enforcement -
An individual discriminated against by a public accommodation's
failure to remove architectural barriers may bring a civil action for
corrective relief. This relief shall include a court order to alter
the facilities as necessary to make them "accessible to and usable by
individuals with disabilities to the extent required by the Act".
When necessary, the order will also include the provision of auxiliary
aids or services, modification of policies or procedures, or the
provision of alternative methods of making goods and services
available.
The ADA also authorizes a person, who has reasonable grounds to
believe he or she is about to be discriminated against by a public
accommodation, to "prevent construction of facilities with
architectural barriers". The intent of this portion of the law, is to
require new facilities "designed and constructed for first occupancy
after January 26, 1993", to be in full compliance with the law. By
allowing action to be taken against facilities at the construction
stage, Congress hoped to "avoid the necessity of costly retro-fitting
that might be required if suits were not permitted until after tile
facilities were completed". The cost of bringing suit against a
public accommodation for disability discrimination, is usually
assessed against the discriminating party. The ADA specifically
authorizes an award of attorneys fees and litigation costs in private
suits, to the prevailing party.
An aggrieved person may also file a complaint with the office of the
U.S. Attorney General. Under the ADA, the Attorney General is
directed to investigate violations of the law and may commence a civil
action against a public accommodation that discriminates, for "pattern
and practice" violations. However, in order to establish a "pattern
and practice" violation, it appears that the evidence must show that
the public accommodation is discriminating in a similar manner at
multiple locations.
The Americans with Disabilities Act has been described as "the world's
first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities" and
as a "milestone in America's commitment to full and equal opportunity
for all of its citizens". But it is the application of these new
found rights, that will help to end discrimination, exclusion and
segregation and forever dispel the myth that the disabled are not
productive, equal members of society.
As Senator Harkin so eloquently stated in floor debate over the
passage of the ADA, "We have a vision. Dr. King dreamed of an America
where a person is judged not by the color of his skin, but by the
content of his character". ADA's vision is of an America where
persons are judged by their abilities and not on the basis of their
disabilities".
John Zbiegien in an attorney practicing in ADA law.
This article is from Access Press Newspaper and may be reprinted with
attribution; letters and submissions are welcome. For more
information or to submit material for publication, please contact:
ACCESS PRESS
3338 University Avenue S.E.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414.
612/379-0989 (voice)
612/379-2730 (FAX)
* Mental floss prevents moral decay.
* Origin: DRAGnet - Disability Resources - (612) 753-1943 (1:282/1007)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(5) Tue 2 Mar 93 1:04p
By: Gordon Gillesby
To: All
Re: DEALING WITH HEAD INJURIES
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LEARNING TO DEAL WITH BRAIN INJURIES
By Marty Cushing & Elinor Hands
The recent stories on Sister Kenny Institute's anniversary and the
resistance Sister Kenny's innovative treatment for polio met from
doctors 50 years ago is a familiar story to those working today with
people having brain injuries.
It reminds us that sometimes the most effective treatment for a
disease or disability develops from the bottom up, with the patient,
instead of with the doctor. People with head injuries carry the
double burden of learning to adapt to their limitations while facing
the preconception that they're incapable of improvement.
Imagine having all your current thoughts, awareness and dreams, but
being unable to express yourself clearly. Imagine feeling perfectly
healthy, until you try to move and your muscles don't properly respond
to your wishes. Imagine the frustration and anger of knowing that
part of your personality is missing, but not remembering what it was.
These are some of the varied challenges that people with brain
injuries must learn to deal with.
Unlike polio, a vaccine for head injury may never exist, but with the
proper rehabilitation, survivors might be capable of full lives.
Unfortunately, people with head injuries are too often treated in ways
counter-productive to recovery.
Treatment for people with damage to their brain was not much of an
issue in the past because very few survived. Placing those few
survivors into institutions for the remainder of their lives was the
usual method of treatment. A person with a head injury was thought to
have no hope for an independent life. More often than not, the
taxpayer ended up supporting people, many of whom, with the
appropriate rehabilitation, were capable of leading self-reliant
lives.
No two head injuries will affect the brain exactly the same, thus each
person must be treated in an individualized manner. Since the ability
to communicate or reason also might have been affected, it's more
difficult to measure success for people with head injuries. Recovery
does not come quickly and fully, as in a movie, but in the painfully
slow process of re-learning to talk, dress oneself, or organize and
accomplish the many tasks of everyday life.
There are many barriers that people with head injuries need to
overcome to lead full lives. One is the problem faced by vulnerable
adults living in a victimizing world. Other difficulties may take the
form of everyday tasks many of us take for granted, such as the basic
independent living skills of cooking, cleaning or catching a bus.
An additional barrier to recovery for people with brain injuries might
be an alcohol or other drug addiction. A person whose life seems
hopeless, whose job prospects are bleak and for whom simple tasks seem
frustratingly difficult, might find escape in a bottle or needle.
While many things changed with the brain injury, the addiction to
alcohol must still be treated.
The rehabilitation community has learned much from people with brain
injuries. We have learned that the brain is remarkably flexible by
observing people re-learn lost abilities. We have watched as people
with traumatized brains learn to cope with limitations by creating
adaptive lifestyles. We've seen people who would have once been
institutionalized, rejoin the mainstream of life.
If your heart, lungs or limbs were to fail you, your future would not
automatically be written off. If, however, your brain is injured, the
widespread belief is that your productive life is over. Fortunately,
as Sister Kenny knew a half century ago, human beings are a great deal
more resilient than some doctors give us credit for. Whether a
disability is a limb affected by polio or a brain injured by accident,
retraining a muscle or organ can work to return a person to productive
life.
Like Sister Kenny, those of us who work with people having brain
injuries learned that a bit of common sense goes a long way in
treating any disability. Perhaps we are finally becoming aware that
the worst limitations for people with brain injuries to overcome, are
those imposed by society. Many people with brain injuries can do ok
for themselves if only given the chance.
Marty Cushing is the Executive Director of Vinland and Elinor Hands is
the Executive Director of Minnesota Head Injury Association.
This article is from Access Press Newspaper and may be reprinted with
attribution; letters and submissions are welcome. For more
information or to submit material for publication, please contact:
ACCESS PRESS
3338 University Avenue S.E.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414.
612/379-0989 (voice)
612/379-2730 (FAX)
* Origin: DRAGnet - Disability Resources - (612) 753-1943
(1:282/1007)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(7) Tue 2 Mar 93 12:43p
By: Gordon Gillesby
To: All
Re: WELLNESS AND DISABILI 1/2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEFINITION OF "WELLNESS" VARIES WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL
by Peg Keller, R.N.
Wellness is often described as the absence of disease. But being
"disease free" does not mean a person is healthy or well. There are
many disease-free people who live life without purpose, joy or an
appreciation of simple pleasures. They have self-defeating
lifestyles, exercising very little, eating poorly and abusing various
substances. They are the helpless victims who define life in terms of
what's wrong rather than what's right.
On the other hand, there are many people with chronic disease or
physical disability who perceive their conditions merely as
inconveniences. They look at what they can do rather then what they
can't. They are victors, not victims. These people maintain a
balanced and healthy lifestyle, and appreciate the value of living
deliberately and can identify meaning and purpose in their lives.
The goal of wellness is not to have a world without disease, stress or
disability, but to believe that the best in each individual will
emerge during difficult times. Wellness will provide strength,
courage and support to make it through tough times. Wellness is not
the end, but a means to continued growth.
Wellness is:
o identifying a person's individual needs and how to meet them
o communicating assertively with others
o maintaining adequate nutrition, exercise level and being
aware of your body's needs
o being involved in projects that have personal meaning to you
o creating and cultivating close relationships with others
o responding to challenges in life as opportunities to grow
o enjoying a sense of well-being even in times of adversity
o relating to troublesome physical or emotional symptoms in
ways that bring improvement in the condition
o trusting your personal resources and inner strengths
This list is far from complete. Wellness is one of those vague,
trendy terms like "holistic," "love" and "stress" that mean different
things to different people.
For example, athletes may perceive wellness as being involved in some
sort of physical activity twice a day. Psychologists carefully
identify and correct self-defeating behaviors, while nutritionists
believe that wellness is a balanced diet low in refined sugar, red
meat and preservatives. Perfectionists might feel that not making the
bed once a week will assure a balanced and healthy life, while
alcoholics may abstain from drinking for a day as proof of health. To
the dying, wellness may mean a sense of control during their last
days. And to those with physical disabilities, wellness may be
determined by peace of mind and acceptance of their disability.
Because of these many viewpoints, wellness is a puzzle to many people.
Our complex technological society defines the human body and health in
somewhat mechanical terms. Health is often misidentified as the
absence of disease or disability., Unfortunately, this misconception
has contributed to the sense of alienation and abandonment experienced
by many individuals with chronic health conditions.
There have been two basic viewpoints on health and wellness since
ancient Greek times. Proponents of the first viewpoint believe that
physicians should work actively against disease and illness using the
tools available. Proponents of the second viewpoint believe that
physicians should cooperate with the natural healing powers of the
body, helping patients grow toward health.
During the 19th century, two great medical advances were made. One
was the discovery of germ theory and the second was the increased use
of chemistry. Because of these advances, sterile and painless surgery
was made available and diseases like cholera and yellow fever were
finally controlled. At this point, the belief that the body had its
own healing power was gradually forgotten, replaced by the theory that
the mind and body were separate entities. Obviously, individuals with
chronic diseases or physical disabilities did not fit this belief.
At the turn of the century, one of the fathers of modern medicine, Sir
William Osler, stated that, "the care of tuberculosis depends more on
what the patient has in his head than what he has in his chest." In
other words, it was more important who had the disease than what
disease they had. Health professionals have contributed a wealth of
information documenting the connection between the mind, nervous
system and immune system. In the last few years, there has been a
growing body of scientific evidence suggesting that one's attitude
toward life, perception of external events and belief system has a
profound impact on wellness.
Work in this field provides credibility to some of the original views
on healing, including the belief in the internal wisdom of the body to
heal itself. For example, research has shown that laughter can raise
pain thresholds, boost antibodies, reduce stress hormones, relieve
tension, increase creativity, promote bonding between people, minimize
anxieties and fear, provide exercise, alter mood and generate a state
of euphoria and relaxation. A comforting touch has been shown to
increase immunity, stabilize the heart and increase pain tolerance,
while social isolation and chronic loneliness often contributes to an
early death.
Other studies prove that how people react to and cope with stress is
more important than the stress itself. People who are healthy have a
sense of control, find challenges stimulating and have a general
commitment to live life fully, despite the stress they face. These
people are full of curiosity and are involved in whatever is happening
at the moment. They believe they can influence events in their lives
and act accordingly. They believe that changes in their lives
stimulate personal growth instead of feeling that the status quo is
being threatened.
Although a certain amount of control is necessary to health, too much
control may result in increased stress, which affects health. The
challenge of wellness is to redefine adversity in your life, so that
the hard times won't seem so bad. The Japanese have a proverb: "In a
storm, the bamboo that bends with the wind survives, while the rigid
tree falls victim to control."
In recent years, medicine has subtly shifted toward rehabilitation.
Now health professional think of healing as helping people become
whole emotionally, psychologically, socially, spiritually and
physically. Rehabilitation maximizes people's physical skills and
functions, reducing their physical limitations. In order for this to
occur, each individual must be an active partner in their health care
team.
Wellness is still not an easily defined term. Each person must
determine his or her own needs and how they can best be met. Concern
for the health and welfare of the whole being will lead to a happier,
healthier you.
Peg Keller is an R.N. and clinical supervisor for the Chronic Pain
Rehabilitation Program at Sister Kenny Institute.
To submit questions on medical or rehabilitative issues for future
columns, write: Medical Issues/ Disability, Sister Kenny Institute,
Dept. 16601, 800 E. 28 St., Mpls, MN 55407
This article is from Access Press Newspaper and may be reprinted with
attribution; letters and submissions are welcome. For more
information or to submit material for publication, please contact:
ACCESS PRESS
3338 University Avenue S.E.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414.
612/379-0989 (voice)
612/379-2730 (FAX)
* Mary had a little lamb, the doctor was surprised.
* Origin: DRAGnet - Disability Resources - (612) 753-1943
(1:282/1007)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
(64) Wed 17 Mar 93 4:23a
By: Arlette Lefebvre
To: All
Re: Ms breakthrough!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MS BREAKTHROUGH..........?????
___________________________________
The Medical Post, Toronto, March 9th, page one. By: Susan Weber.
STANFORD _ New research in the field of multiple sclerosis is
yielding some very provocative results.
In separate publications, researchers at Stanford University, Calif.,
and harvard University in Boston, Mass., report encouraging findings
in their investigations of the cause and treatment of this
debilitating disease.
MS is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that
destroys the myelin sheath covering neurons. While its cause is
essentially unknown, it's thought to be an aoutoimmune disorder, with
the body's own T-cells recognizing and destroying the myelin, probably
by attacking a protein called myelin basic problem.
Stanford researchers, under the direction of Dr. Lawrence Steinman,
used polymerase chain reaction technology to look at T-cells from
lesions in the brains of 16 MS patients. The technique allows the
amplification of tiny amounts of DNA from a sample.
In this case, they looked specifically at different tupes of T-cell
receptor genes found in the lesions, said Dr. Steinman, professor of
Neurology at Stanford. By looking at these receptors, they have been
able to identify the specific autoimmune response that may be
responsible for the disease. (!!!!!)
"When we sequenced the DNA, instead of one different sequence after
another sequence, we found a few motifs, and within those motifs were
a large class of DNA sequences encoding T-cells that recognized a
particular fragment of myelin basic protein," said Dr Steinman in an
interview.
This particular gene sequence was found in eight of the 16 patients.
"The nice thing about this finding- the surprising result- is that
it's IDENTICAL to what we and others have observed for the past five
or sixyears as the major gene on the white cells in an ANIMAL MODEL of
MS.
The model is called experimental autoiimune encephalomyelitis, or EAE,
and the exciting part is that they and other researchers have already
shown a variety of ways to selectively "turn off" thgis disease.
Monoclonal antibodies and peptide compounds which block those
receptors have already been shown to work "exquisitely" in animals, he
said, but it's always been assumed that the human picture would be
much more complex.
"Now it appears that given the promise of those rodent experiments,
there will be a clear path to applying and implementing these
procedures in humans, since the human response is so similar.", he
said.
So, can it be said that they've found the CAUSE of MS? "Well, one
could go a little way out on alimb and say quite possibly", said Dr.
Steinman, whose results were published in the March 4 issue of NATURE.
Also promising are recently published findings from a group under the
direction of Dr. Howard Weiner at the Center for Neurologic Diseases
at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University in Boston, Mass.
In a pilot trial, these researchers have had encouraging results
called oral tolerization in MS patients.
The idea is to raise the body's tolerance to the presence of its
own myelin proteins by giving the patients bovine myelin protein
orally - a sort of oral vaccine.
In the Feb. 26 issue of SCIENCE, Dr. Weiner and collegaues reported
their findings with this technique in 30 patients with
relapsing-remitting MS randomized to receive either daily capsules of
bovine myelin or a control protein.
After one year, six of the 15 patients in the treatment group had a
major exacerbation, as compared with 12 out of 15 in the control
group. Counts of T-cells reactive to myelin basic protein were also
reduced in the treatment group. They are now planning a multicentre
trial, which may include Canadian centres.
Au revoir, I hope...?
Arlette.
* You always pass failure on the way to success.
* QNet3 * ADAnet: Ability OnLine - Toronto Canada - 416/650-5411
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(69) Sat 20 Mar 93 12:18p
By: Gordon Gillesby
To: All
Re: TASK FORCE REPORT END 1/2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
TASK FORCE REPORT `STRONGLY ENDORSED':
INVEST IN TRAINING SYSTEM FOR DIRECT CARE PROVIDERS AND FAMILIES
On February 9, 1993, the Minnesota State Board of Technical Colleges
"strongly endorsed" the report and recommendations submitted by State
Technical College Task Force on Educational Opportunities for
Developmental Disabilities Service Providers. The study and report
was a result of legislation passed in 1991 that directed the State
Board of Technical Colleges and an appointed Task Force to make
recommendations for needed changes in both pre-service and continuing
education programs for service providers and families. The report
documents the need for and the establishment of a statewide,
state-of-the-art training/practice system for direct care providers,
including families.
"The need to establish such a system has been recognized and discussed
for the past two decades," the Task Force observed. "In the meantime,
persons with developmental disabilities have been waiting for almost
two decades to receive adequate and appropriate state-of-the-art
services from competently-trained direct care providers. This delay
has resulted in missed opportunities for approximately 70,000
Minnesota citizens to live quality lives and to achieve their maximum
potential in an inclusive community."
The following deficiencies in the current "non-system" were noted:
. A need to secure inter-agency cooperation and collaboration;
. A need to secure adequate funding to sustain a delivery system;
. A need to develop curriculum and training materials that
emphasize skills and are competency-based;
. A need to effectively disseminate training and education
materials and resources;
. A need to develop a process to evaluate education and training
materials that is value- and outcome-based;
. A need to include incentives that will address low wage, high
turnover, and staff retention problems.
Following are highlights from a number of detailed recommendations
made in the report:
-- Funding:
. Training for direct care providers must become a priority and
funding must be allocated to assure such training.
. Move resources from expensive, more restrictive, segregated
services to home and community services.
. Establish a "training voucher system" where the voucher follows
the person with developmental disabilities and the value of the
voucher is tied to the needs of the person receiving services.
. As a general policy, training dollars should be available as
new services are developed, and to develop and field test new
curricula and approaches.
. The state should match any federal dollars if and when
available for training.
-- Management/Inter-agency:
. State agency coordination/collaboration will need legislative
direction.
. Develop a tracking system to allow the State to determine the
amount of funds being spent on training, who is receiving
training, and outcomes achieved.
. Modify all applicable rules/legislation so emphasis is on
guiding principles as developed and approved by the Task Force.
-- Curricula:
. Tailor training to the audience.
. Training materials must be understandable and accessible.
. Establish mechanism to assure that curricula are regularly
identified, updated, reviewed, and evaluated according to the
guiding principles.
-- Delivery:
. Broaden the focus of training and make it accessible to
existing generic community resources such as families, home
health care, senior programs, special education, scouting
programs, ancillary or para-professional staff.
. Competency-based training should be regularly available,
including ongoing support and technical assistance.
-- Evaluation:
. Establish a process for ongoing review of curricula, and
evaluate the impact on quality of services, as experienced by
individuals and family members.
. Disseminate information about successful training approaches.
-- Incentives:
. Remove disincentives from rules, replacing with incentives.
. No certification should be required but training should provide
flexible accreditation and promote career ladder opportunities.
"The above recommendations are a critical step toward the design,
development, and implementation of training system, and a long overdue
improvement in the quality of services provided to persons with
developmental disabilities," the Task Force report concluded.
Copies of State Technical Task Force on Educational Opportunities for
Developmental Disabilities Service Providers, an Executive Summary,
and Criteria for Competency Based Training are available from the
Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities Office.
This article is from FUTURITY Newsletter and may be reprinted with
attribution; letters and submissions are welcome. For more
information or to submit material for publication, please contact:
Roger Strand
Governor's Planning Council on Develomental Disabilities
Minnesota Department of Administration
300 Centennial Building
658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, MN 55155
612/296-9963
* An Elephant: A mouse Built to Government Standards.
* Origin: DRAGnet - Disability Resources - (612) 753-1943
(1:282/1007)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
(71) Sat 20 Mar 93 12:23p
By: Gordon Gillesby
To: All
Re: RESEARCH SUPPORTS INC SCH
----------------------------------------------------------------------
RESEARCH SUPPORTS INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS:
INTEGRATION YIELDS HIGHER PERFORMANCE
"The more that children with severe disabilities are included in
regular education classes, the better they perform in school and
social situations," said Pam Hunt, research coordinator for the
California Research Institute of San Francisco State University. "We
know that other practices are very important, but they didn't come
near to having the powerful link to success that integration had," she
added.
Several variables were studied in five states: teacher training,
principal involvement, and eight other factors shown to improve the
education of students with disabilities. Parents and teachers of 312
students with severe disabilities were interviewed. Analysis of the
data revealed that the children who attended mostly regular classes
performed best in school and social situations and were better able to
live independently.
"School districts need to do more than take students with severe
disabilities from separate schools and put them into segregated
classes in neighborhood schools," Hunt said. "Children should be
included in the regular classrooms as much as possible. As we all
know, physical integration does not always mean social integration."
Hunt said that this research may help shift debates about integration
away from the question of morality to that of making an empirical
stand, instead.
For more information, contact: Pam Hunt, C.R.I., Department of
Special Education, San Francisco State University, 14 Tapia Drive, San
Francisco, CA 94132. 415/338-7848.
- - - - -
NATIONAL EDUCATORS CALL FOR INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS
A group of state policy-makers released a report (October 23, 1992)
calling for a "fundamental shift" away from the current "separate and
isolated system" of special education toward an inclusive system that
focuses on outcomes for all students. "Transforming the current
system will require changes in how education is organized, how
teachers are trained, and how special and general education are
funded," the authors of the report said.
In the fall of 1990, the National Association of State Boards of
Education (NASBE) charged a 17-member Study Group on Special Education
with assessing the state of special education, particularly in light
of the school reform movement. In its final report, Winners ALL: A
Call for Inclusive Schools, the group notes its work "is based on the
premise that all children can and will learn, and this led to the
belief that the dual special education/general education bureaucracies
that exist today in most states have hindered collaboration between
special and general educators."
The report highlights a number of efforts across the country to create
inclusive schools. But, the report observes, "Unfortunately, these
success stories of inclusion are often the result of a commitment by a
few skilled individuals who run the specific programs, rather than a
broad commitment for reform."
The group observed that the passage of P.L. 94-142--now called the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)--focused on access
to public education (rather than outcomes) helped spawn a separate
educational bureaucracy in which most children become mired, many
never finish, and significant numbers do not make a successful
transition to adulthood.
"In no way is the group suggesting that parent and student rights, be
rescinded, [but] we must demand more of the system than it currently
produces," the authors of the report said. Poor outcomes were
attributed to "unnecessary segregation and labeling" of children for
special services and the "ineffective" practice of mainstreaming,
which "splinters" the academic and social lives of many students.
Specifically, the report calls on state boards of education to adopt
three recommendations:
. Create a new belief system and vision for education that
includes ALL students, and provide leadership by articulating
goals for all students and then identifying the changes needed
to meet those goals.
. Encourage and foster collaborative partnerships and joint
training programs between general educators and special
educators to encourage a greater capacity of both types of
teachers to work with the diverse student population found in
fully inclusive schools.
. Sever the link between funding, placement, and handicapping
label. Funding requirements should not drive programming and
placement decisions for students.
Source: Counterpoint (Winter 1992), National Association of State
* And Adam asked, "What's a headache?"
* Origin: DRAGnet - Disability Resources - (612) 753-1943
(1:282/1007)
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(74) Sat 20 Mar 93 12:44p
By: Gordon Gillesby
To: All
Re: UN DISABILITY AGENDA - PA
----------------------------------------------------------------------
UNITED NATIONS SETS WORLD AGENDA ON DISABILITIES
Part Four in a Monthly Series
In an August 1992 publication, "World Program of Action Concerning
Persons with Disabilities," the United Nations General Assembly
outlined some of the following recommendations relating to the
creation of equal opportunities. Member States should:
-- Legislation
. Ensure that persons with disabilities are granted equal
opportunities with other citizens, eliminating any
discriminatory practices.
. Draft human rights legislation, with attention given to
conditions which may adversely affect the ability of persons
with disabilities to exercise the rights and freedoms, such as
education, work, social security, and protection from inhuman or
degrading treatment.
-- Physical Environment
. Work towards making the physical environment accessible to all.
. Adopt a policy ensuring access to all new public buildings and
facilities, public housing and public transport systems.
Furthermore, encourage access to existing public buildings and
facilities, housing and transport wherever feasible, especially
taking advantage of renovation.
. Encourage the provision of support services to enable persons
with disabilities to live as independently as possible in the
community. In so doing, they should ensure that persons with a
disability have the opportunity to develop and manage these
services for themselves.
Note: Future issues of Futurity will list specific recommendations
made in several additional areas relating to equalization of
opportunities: income maintenance and social security; employment;
recreation; and culture.
This article is from FUTURITY Newsletter and may be reprinted with
attribution; letters and submissions are welcome. For more
information or to submit material for publication, please contact:
Roger Strand
Governor's Planning Council on Develomental Disabilities
Minnesota Department of Administration
300 Centennial Building
658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, MN 55155
612/296-9963
* Anything free is worth what you pay for it.
* Origin: DRAGnet - Disability Resources - (612) 753-1943 (1:282/1007)