Benefits of Community-Based Instruction
Current research and results from current program implementation suggest the following outcomes may be obtained from involvement in community-based education programs and concurrent on-going classroom instruction.
Benefits to Students:
- Increase appropriate social and community behaviors, in addition to appropriate work habits (decrease of self-stimulatory,
ritualistic, anti-social behaviors). - Development of specific skills critical to the individual's independent functioning within the community.
- General increase of independence in community mobility.
- Development of age-appropriate social skills necessary to complete community transactions.
- Development or skills and work habits appropriate to sheltered and/or un-sheltered employment settings.
Benefits to Parents/Caregivers:
- Increased parental and caregiver commitment and involvement in program planning.
- Increased parent and caregiver responsibility in the identification of skills which a student needs to function within the home and/or community.
- General increase in parent-caregiver/school communication, cooperation and participation.
Benefits to Educational Staff:
- Increased creativity and commitment to the instructional program as a result of the development of a more functionally based curriculum.
- Increased staff communications as a result of program development, coordination, and implementation.
- Projected increase in teacher motivation due to implementation of programs in a variety of environments other than the classroom.
Benefits to the Community
- Increased positive community awareness of realistic potential of individuals with disabilities.
- Increased partnership of the private sector by cooperatively providing instructional settings appropriate to individuals with disabilities.