Philip Browning’s scientific contributions

This paper presents a revised K-12 master's teacher certification program that gives emphasis to training secondary teachers, in response to Alabama's urgent need to have highly trained secondary special education teachers in the area of transition of students with disabilities from school to adult life. The proposed teacher preparation program is built on four broad transition areas: (1) functional assessment and curricula; (2) vocational and community preparation; (3) self-determination and family involvement; (4) and interagency collaboration. A justification is offered for including each of these areas in the revised program. The program would be innovative in that: (1) the curriculum offers five knowledge-based courses in transition, (2) supervision occurs for three quarters (instead of one) and intensively focuses on secondary programming and transition practices, (3) students must satisfactorily complete a field-based transition project, and (4) students will actively participate in the Alabama Annual Transition Conference. Tables offer a comparison of current and revised program requirements, a matrix of training needs competencies and courses, and a students' program plan. Four tables present the data. (Contains 41 references.) (JDD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the opinions and practices of the state's rehabilitation counselors who are assigned to serve secondary students with disabilities. This study complements the results of a recently completed statewide investigation of Alabama's secondary special education teachers and special education coordinators (Brown, Browning, & Dunn, 1992). Like the previous study, the findings of the present one are to, among other things, provide state personnel with important information as a decision- making base for program planning and improvement in the transition of its students with disabilities. Method Sample A survey instrument was sent to Alabama's rehabilitation counselors assigned to serve transition clients (students with disabilities from ages 15-25) through the state's Division of Rehabilitation Services. Fifty-nine of the 76 counselors completed their survey instrument for a return rate of 78%. However, not all 59 counselors answered every survey item. The 59 respondents had been a rehabilitation counselor for an average of 9 years/6 months and had been serving "transition" clients for an average of 6 years/6 months. Also, 47 (82%) of them reported that they were assigned to work with one or more local education agencies (LEAs) for an average of 3.4 LEAs per counselor (range = 1-13). Seventeen counselors (29%) had a caseload of only transition clients, as compared to 27 (47%) wh ose caseload consisted of one-half (or less) of transition clients. Finally, the average number of transition clients served by each of 54 counselors who answered this item was 118. In all, these counselors served a total of 6,372 transition clients, with a range of 10 to 300 transition clients per counselor. Nineteen (37%) of 52 counselors reported that they officially added the students to their caseload while the students were in the 9th grade, and 70% of the counselors served their transition clients before the students entered the 11th grade. For over half of the counselors, no less than 50% of their transition clients were minority. And, over a third of these counselors said that there were "unique barriers" for their minority clients that impeded their successful transition. Questionnaire

The authors introduce Alabama's Initiative to develop and implement a student tracking system for its youth and young adults with disabilities. This paper includes (a) an overview of the need for and importance of documenting student performance, (b) a de scription of Alabama's follow-along (in-school/post-school) tracking s ystem, and (c) the implications of this system for program improvement, accountability, and policy formation.

The mission of Alabama is to increase the state's capacity to both improve and expand upon its transition services, programs, and options now available, in order to more efficiently and effectively meet the tremendous needs of its youth with disabilities. A major premise underlying this mission is that a systems change approach must be employed in order to help insure that change in capacity-building will in fact occur. The remainder of this paper is devoted to presenting a blueprint for action, which consists of five areas, including (a) An Interagency Plan, (b) A System for Local Transition Teams, (c) Functional Programs and Practices, (d) Professional (and significant other) Development, and (e) A Follow-Along System. An Interagency Plan Cooperative planning for transition must address the entire transition process by coordinating services provided by preparatory programs (secondary schools), linkage resources (public, private agencies and parents) and community receiving environments (work settings, post-secondary education programs, and residential facilities) Stodden and Boone, 1987. p. 538). Interagency cooperation and planning is certainly a critical, systems change area that must be addressed. According to Edgar, Horton, and Maddox (1984), for example, a number of obstacles against effective transition services include: (a) inconsistent organizational patterns across agencies, (b) discontinuity in the geographic areas covered by programs, (c) differing application procedures for service eligibility, and (d) varying planning cycles and fiscal years. Therefore, a coherent and consistent policy framework for action is required at all levels, including ". . . policy goals, understanding of service eligibility and entitlement requirements, commonly shared language and information among service delivery systems, and consensus on the type and scope of services provided within each level of the services delivery system. . ." (Johnson, Bruininks & Thurlow, 1987, pp. 522-523).

Eds.) Achieving excellence in 2 rehabilitation education: The stairway to quality rehabilitation services (pp. 93-96), Washington, DC: Proceedings of the 1992 Conference sponsored by The National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) and The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in cooperation with The Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR). This ATI training program uses Distance Education as a learning medium for transition stakeholders to acquire important knowledge and skills in transition. A more complete account of the nature of this training program is reported in the Alabama Council for Exceptional Children Journal. The purpose of this paper 1 is to present (a) Alabama's needs for distance education in transition, (b) the development and piloting testing of a distance education course(s), and (c) the implementation and evaluation of a distance education course entitled Foundations in Transition. Need There is little question that long distance learning is in the forefront of training for today's needs . . . We must seriously consider the ways in which to increase our knowledge and skills in this area so as to be able to offer high quality education through these modalities. 2 The needs for distance education are many. First, many adults find distance education more viable because their work schedules or leisure time activities often conflict with enrollment in "on-campus" classes. Second, many adults, especially in rural areas, are financially (and personally) tied to an area, and have no desire to leave to study elsewhere. And third, distance learning eliminates unnecessary travel. These (and other reasons) were strongly supported in a statewide survey of transition stakeholders in Alabama. Specifically, the following are but of a few of the verbatim statements provided by 172 transition personnel who responded to the following open-ended item: "I (and others in my work area) would welcome the opportunity for "distance learning" in transition because . . ." "Our opportunities are often limited by time and distance in rural systems like ours" (Escambia County). "I and others in my work area would welcome . . . distance learning in transition because it is difficult to access programs from this rural setting" (St. Clair County).

The purpose of assessment in transition is to provide an information base for decision-making about the development and implementation of students individualized transition plans and related-programs and services. In order to enhance its contribution to transition, a definition of assessment is provided that is tailored to the unique considerations of the concept and practice of transition. The need for an assessment program through which assessment activities should be performed is also discussed. Such a program would help to answer the following questions: (a) what type of information is to be gathered; (b) who is responsible forgathering it; (c) when and how often is it to be gathered; (d) who is responsible for recording and interpreting it; (e) how is it to be used; and (f) who will be the users.

Since the 1960's, the rights, responsibilities and opportunities for millions of Americans with disabilities have dramatically changed due to, among other things, the enactment of civil rights and legislation. These safeguards for their individual rights and opportunities, coupled with their on-going consumerism movement of three decades, has increasingly resulted in their asserting rights on their own behalf. Also, they have increasingly become self-advocates for their own interests as full-fledged citizens in American life. What we have seen emerging from the evolution of these empowering social changes for the past 30 years is the term "SELF-DETERMINATION", which now is receiving national attention. Consider, for example, that: ! In 1989, self-determination was the focus of a national conference sponsored by Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), ! In 1992, self-determination was one of four national research priorities for OSERS' special education research program ! In 1993, self-determination was legislatively earmarked to promote the philosophy of independent living, empowerment and productivity for individuals with disabilities Self-determination is also emerging as a frontrunner in the transition movement. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act addresses the need for transition personnel to embellish the students' "preferences" and "interests" into their IEP/ITP transition plans and programs. Dr. Halloran, OSERS' Secondary and Transition Program Coordinator, highlighted it as one of "five" major transition issues that may characterize the '90s. Dr. Szymanski, a national leader in transition, stated that self-determination and autonomy should be the GOAL of transition. Those of you who were here last year remember that they were our keynoters. In keeping with this agenda, the purpose of my delivery this morning is: (a) to discuss with you the general nature of self-determination, and (b) to offer two strategies for better enabling our youngsters to becoming the architects in drafting their own goals and plans for their future.

Assessment is a critical educational and service delivery component for the successful planning, programming, and eventual placing of youth with disabilities from school-to-work and community. Its importance is reflected, in part, in the literature that has emerged on the topic since the early 1980s, such as books (Halpern & Furher, 1984; Stodden, Ianacone, Boone, & Bisconer, 1987) special issues in national periodicals (Elrod, 1987, Stodden, 1986), journal articles (Dick, 1987; Elrod & Sorgenfrei, 1988), and instrument reviews (DeStefano, Linn & Markward, 1987). The purpose of this paper is to present a definition of assessment that is tailored to the unique considerations of the concept and practice of transition. Because of the nature of transition itself, the authors also discuss the need for a model program through which the assessment is practiced with students in transition.