A User's Guide to Community Entry for the Severely Handicapped: (SUNY series in Special Education)

Once "warehoused" in institutions, many severely handicapped individuals are now living in community residences. Yet there are few resource materials available for those who face the difficult task of planning and operating these residences. A User's Guide to Community Entry for the Severely Handicapped offers practical guidance for creating the most home-like, least restrictive residential settings. Committed to the right of all individuals to live in their home community, Pancsofar and Blackwell address topics of vital concern to residential planners, administrators, and direct care personnel. The Guide covers administrative and programmatic issues, offering a wealth of suggestions, examples, forms, and checklists. It is a valuable special education textbook and reference work, and an excellent resource for families.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction 1. Philosophic Orientation Normalization Criterion of Ultimate Functioning Competence-Deviance Hypothesis Least Restrictive Environment Dignity of Risk Ecological Orientation Summary 2. Range of Residential Options Community Living Alternatives Evaluative Review of Sheltered Villages Evaluative Review of Small Group Homes Summary 3. Evaluation of Community-Living Options Needs Assessment Formative Evaluation Cost Effectiveness Summary 4. Financing a Residential Home Funding Sources Private Funding Profit Funding Local Agency Funding Purchase of Service (State Funding) Medicaid: Title XIX (Federal Funding) Other Financial Considerations Summary 5. Transitioning Residents from Previous Living Environments Gradual Introduction to the Home Preserving Some of the Old Personalizing the New Home Transferring Relevant Information Establishing Personal Relationships Understanding Special Needs Trial Period for New Residents Summary 6. Voluntary Community Resources Coordinator: Volunteer Resource Personnel Facility Needs: Potential Volunteer Assistance Residential Advisory Board Other Resource Personnel Suggestions for Working with Volunteer Assistance Organizational Plan for Establishing a Volunteer Program Volunteer Program Forms Summary 7. Instructional Strategies for Conducting Training Programs Antecedent Change Prompt Hierarchies Least Prompting Most Prompting Time Delay Modifying the Task Presentation Chaining Adding and Fading of a Color Cue Consequent Changes Resident Reinforcement Survey Summary 8. Domestic Living Skills Current and Subsequent Domestic Living Inventories Environmental Analysis for Household Cleaning Tasks Safety Needs for Group Home Residents Domestic Domain State of the Art Resources 9. Leisure Time Activities Overview/Suggestions for Leisure Time Programming Leisure Time Activity Content Areas Arts/Crafts Games/Table Physical Fitness Hobbies Sports/Games Social Sample Instructional Formats for Selected Leisure Activities Partial Participation in an Activity Residents with Restricted Leisure Time Activities Suggested Activities Community Involved Program A Final Thought 10. General Community Functioning Interview Resident, Peers, and Primary Care Providers Locate Specific Environments Analyze Characteristics of Activities Develop Date Sheets Use Data Sheets in Specific Environments Develop Task Analyses Develop Training Strategies Summary 11. Characteristics of Model Training Efforts Within Residential Settings An Established Philosophy Statement Domain Referenced Curriculum Community-Based Activities Interaction With Nonhandicapped Peers Involvement of Citizen-Advocates and Neighbors Systematic Instruction Strategies with Data Based Decision Procedures Hierarchy of Documented Procedures for the Decrease of Aberrant Behavior Regular Inservice Sessions to Update Staff on Current State-of-the-Art Knowledge Daily Schedule for Each Resident Use of Generic Medical Facilities and Community Services Self-Evaluation Checklist References Index

About the Author :
Ernest Pancsofar is Assistant Professor of Special Education at Bowling Green State University. Robert Blackwell is Professor of Special Education at Bowling Green State University.