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Community-Based Instruction
 From the August 2001 Disabilities newsletter.From his days as a teacher of students with multiple disabilities in Texas, Michael L. Wehmeyer, now a research associate professor at the University of Kansas, recalls examples of teaching a student how to pull straws from a dispenser at McDonald's and teaching a student who had expressed an interest in books how to get a library card and navigate the library. "We were working on a wide array of activities we weren't able to focus on in the classroom. It was much more exciting for the students than to be sitting in a classroom." Dr. Wehmeyer knows from experience that it is sometimes difficult for students with multiple disabilities to learn a skill or concept in a classroom and then apply it to a community setting. For these students, learning by doing is the best educational option. For students who are able to generalize and apply skills first taught in a classroom, Dr. Wehmeyer recommends teaching those skills before entering the community. For these students, Dr. Wehmeyer says that community-based instruction is "a good way to reinforce what students learned in the classroom." Advice for Implementation "In community-based instruction, students learn skills in the environment in which they'll be using them," notes Dr. Wehmeyer. "The content areas tend to be functional for students and have a direct and immediate impact on them and their families." Implementing a community-based teaching program is not without its challenges. For example, Dr. Wehmeyer points out that school districts across the country have struggled with issues of liability and transportation as groups head into the community. Each school or school district's solutions need to be determined locally, Dr. Wehmeyer emphasizes. He advises program planners to bring together all individuals — school officials, teachers, paraprofessionals, OTs, SLPs, parent groups, etc. — who have a role in a community-based instruction program and reach a workable solution in light of the laws and needs of the community. "The more perspective you have, the more likely it is that you can reach an innovative solution," Dr. Wehmeyer says. The next essential ingredient needed for a successful community-based education program is the support and involvement of parents. Dr. Wehmeyer recommends that parents receive the same training as program staff to ensure they "understand the principles and philosophies behind community-based instruction." Dr. Wehmeyer points out that parental cooperation is often needed to obtain access to appropriate community settings. For example, students who plan to live with their families or who are active in religious or other community organizations need skills instruction to take place in those environments. Finally, community-based instruction should be individualized. Dr. Wehmeyer reminds educators to examine an individual student's preferences and skills to determine the environments or sub-environments in which that student will be successful.
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