Sharon Field

Self-Determination: A Key to Success in Postsecondary Education for Students with Learning Disabilities

Self-determination should be a central organizing concept in postsecondary programs for all students with disabilities, including those with learning disabilities. The importance of self-determination is supported by numerous studies, including one by Sarver (2000), who found a significant relationship between the grade point averages of students with learning disabilities and their levels of self-determination. Interviews with students about postsecondary environments demonstrate that specific environmental factors and personality markers are important to postsecondary success. Characteristics of environments that support self-determination are discussed within the context of postsecondary education settings. These characteristics include self-determined role models, self-determination skill instruction, opportunities for choice, positive communication patterns and relationships, and availability of supports. Universal Design for Instruction, a new paradigm for college students with learning disabilities, fosters self-determination by offering students productive opportunities for learning.

Development of A Model for Self-Determination:

SELF-DETERMINATION is rapidly gaining attention and acceptance within the disability field, particularly with respect to the transition from school to adulthood movement. This is occurring as persons with disabilities, their families, educators and service providers are questioning the passive stereotypes and roles often assigned to persons with disabilities which are in direct conflict with typical expectations of adults. Recent legislation reinforced the importance of self-determination for students with disabilities. The Individuals With Disabilities Education

Self-Determination for Persons With Disabilities: A Position Statement of me Division on Career Development and Transition

The concept of self-determination has become important in the field of special education and disability services over recent years. This emphasis has come about as a result of several factors, including a changing view of disability, legislation, research findings and advances in teaching technology. Self-determination is highly important to the career development and transition process and it needs to be encouraged throughout the lifespan. It is important for all students, with and without disabilities, including those students with the most severe disabilities. Self-determination instruction can be provided within an inclusive framework and is important for educators as well as students. Family participation is important to the development of self-determination. The Division on Career Development and Transition of the Council for Exceptional Children supports and affirms approaches rooted in self-determination for development and delivery of effective educational programs.

Implementation of Self-Determination Activities and Student Participation in IEPs

The Council for Exceptional Children conducted an online Web survey to obtain information on the instructional practices and attitudes of educators as they relate to self-determination and student involvement in the individualized education program (IEP) process. We obtained 523 usable responses from teachers, administrators, and related services professionals. Although respondents highly valued both student involvement in IEPs and self-determination skills, only 8% were satisfied with the approach they were using to teach self-determination. Only 34% were satisfied with the level of student involvement in IEP meetings. Implications include the need for longitudinal research and technical assistance, targeting administrators, general educators, and special educators beginning in the elementary grades, to improve the capacity of schools to deliver self-determination instruction.

Self-Determination and Student Involvement in Standards-Based Reform

Promoting self-determination has become “best practice” in the education of students with disabilities. We synthesize the decades work in this area as a foundation for considering issues pertaining to promoting self-determination in light of the current educational context. We particularly examine the role of promoting self-determination in light of federal standards-based reform initiatives. We conclude that school reform efforts provide an opportunity to infuse instruction in self-determination into the education programs of all students, including students with disabilities. Many state and local standards include a focus on component elements of self-determined behavior and promoting self-determination enables students to perform more effectively within other content domains. The importance of personnel preparation to enable teachers to promote self-determination is discussed.

The Importance of Family Involvement for Promoting Self-Determination in Adolescents with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities

Self-determination has recently become an important concept in special education and disability services. The concept of self-determination is defined and component skills delineated. Some of the component skills of self-determination may pose particular challenges to people with autism and other developmental disabilities due to the difficulties in communication skills and social relationships experienced by many people in this population. Family involvement is an important variable affecting the development and expression of self-determination in people with autism and other developmental disabilities. Strategies to promote and support parental involvement in self-determination instruction are discussed.

Preparing Youth to Exercise Self-Determination Quality Indicators of School Environments That Promote the Acquisition of Knowledge, Skills, and Beliefs Related to Self-Determination

If youth with disabilities are to be adequately prepared to maximize opportunities for self-determination in adulthood, they need to be equipped with the knowledge, beliefs, and skills that lead to self-determination in their educational programs. This article identifies quality indicators of educational programs that promote self-determination. The quality indicators are holistic in nature and address the self-determination of all members of the school community. Guidelines for using the quality indicators for program improvement are provided.

Promoting Self-Determination through Effective Curriculum Development.

Describes curriculum efforts as a result of two major federal initiatives

Lessons Learned From Implementing the Steps to Self-Determination Curriculum:

This article describes a system of supports for implementing the Steps to Self-Determination curriculum and discusses findings from studies on the curriculum, all of which used a pre-post design with Steps as the intervention. Findings from outreach efforts to support implementation of Steps include teachers who are self-determined are better able to promote self-determination for their students, self-determination needs to be supported at all levels in the school organization, self-determination knowledge and skills can be infused successfully in a variety of subject areas, there are many ways to involve parents in self-determination instruction, support for positive relationships is central to self-determination, and achievement of valued goals is an important element of self-determination instruction. Practical strategies teachers have used to adapt or enhance the curriculum are presented.

A Historical Perspective on Student Involvement in the Transition Process: Toward a Vision of Self-Determination for All Students

A FRIEND OF MINE who is a psychologist and professor teaches his students, &dquo;If you listen carefully to your clients, they will tell you what they need.&dquo; Although the self-determination emphasis in special education is quite new, students have been finding ways to tell us what they need for years. Because there have been few formal vehicles for student expression, this input has often been obscure or provided through behavior we would label as inappropriate. However, student involvement-provided in many different ways, shapes, and forms-has been an important element that has helped shape the transition movement as we know it today. Throughout its 20 year history, DCDT has been composed of individuals who care about the preparation of individuals with disabilities for community life. Often this commitment has led us to focus our primary efforts on adolescents and adults because these are the life stages when career issues become most apparent and urgent. Thus, it is not surprising that DCDT has been a leader in advocating a