Thus, policy-makers are attempting to either maintain or reduce the current supply of social programs at the exact same time that demand for such programs is very likely to increase. Special education, therefore, has an absolutely critical role to play in preparing students with disabilities for a world that is likely to be far more hostile than the one we know today. The best programs we have been involved with have had as a central tenet the notion of working backwards. That is, they identify the skills, behaviors, and other attributes a person will need for success in adulthood and then create truly individualized programs that build incrementally toward those requirements. In building a truly individualized program based on desired real world results, energy and effort can be focused on initiatives and activities that are likely to produce applicable and relevant results.
Introduction Begin with the end in mind.
Organizational culture and structure count. The practitioner's role is pivotal. Multidisciplinary instruction is extraordinarily difficult, but well worth the effort. Standards need to be relative, not universal. Meaningfully involved families are assets, not liabilities.