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Addiction - Physical or psychological dependence on a substance, with lack
of the substance causing withdrawal symptoms.
ADL / Activities of Daily Living - Basic skills such as housekeeping, meal
planning and preparation, money management, arranging social activities,
use of public transportation and self-medication.
Advocacy - Speaking for or urging a cause, such as equal access to community
services.
Aging Out - Term applying to a student who is nearing the end of his/her school
career. It is generally used in regard to students who have severe disabilities
and who will require programs and services into their adult years.
Assistive Technology Device - Any item, piece of equipment, or product system,
whether acquired commercially off-the-shelf, modified or customized, that
increases, maintains, or improves functional capabilities of individuals
with disabilities.
Career / Vocational Assessment - The systematic collection of information about
the student’s vocational aptitudes, abilities, expressed interest,
and occupational awareness used in planning his or her transition to competitive
employment or post-secondary education.
Caregiver - One who looks after or takes care of a person.
CBI: Community Based Instruction - Integrating students into their community
as part of their education.
Community-Based - Services provided in a non-institutional setting, preferably
in an individual’s home community.
Community-Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) - A living arrangement in which
eight or fewer individuals with a mental disability reside under supervision
and are provided with an array of services.
Community Supported Living Arrangement (SLA) - Provision of supports and services
designed to help an individual live in his/her own home or apartment in a
community near significant others.
Community Residence - A facility in the community providing room, board, clinical
supervision, and home-like environment. Two examples are group homes and
halfway houses.
Competitive Employment - A job in the community in which the hiring, salary,
and job description and evaluations are handled equal for all employees.
Counseling - Advice or guidance provided by training, licensed professional
such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or a social worker.
Crisis Intervention - Assisting individuals or their families in emergency
situations, for example, housing medical, and/or psychiatric needs.
Crises Residence - Provides temporary shelter and support services for individuals
with a mental illness who are experiencing crises.
Day Treatment - A planned combination of broad diagnostic, treatment, and
rehabilitation services provided during daytime hours while the person
with a mental illness
lives at home or in the community residence.
Detoxification - The process of restoring physiological functioning after it
has been seriously disturbed by alcohol, drugs or other addictive substances.
Developmental Disability - A severe, chronic disability which: a) is a mental
or physical impairment or combination of the two; b) occurs before the age
of 22; c) is likely to continue; d) results in limitations in three or more
areas of major life activity, including: self-care, receptive and expressive
language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living,
and economic self-sufficiency; and e) reflects the need for special, interdisciplinary
care, treatment, or other services which are of lifelong or extended duration
and are individually planned or coordinated.
A person with developmental disabilities is someone who has not progressed
at the “standard” rate in acquiring skills in motor, adaptive,
communicative, and social areas. The four disabilities most common to individuals
diagnosed as having a developmental disability include epilepsy, cerebral palsy,
autism, and mental retardation.
Developmental Training (D.T.) - A post-secondary day program in which skills
for independent living are developed and enhanced through repetitive learning
activities. Programs include motor development, dressing and grooming, toileting,
eating, language, reading and writing, quantitative skill development, independent
living reduction of maladaptive behavior, and vocational preparation.
Diagnosis (Primary) - The name of the major conditions (physical, developmental,
or mental) for which a person is being treated.
Diagnosis (Secondary) - The name of an additional or secondary condition (physical,
developmental, or mental) for which a person is being treated.
DSS: Department of Social Services - This department provides a wide array
of services for people who are economically and socially disadvantaged. The
department also supervises residential facilities to protect the rights of
clients and ensure adequate levels of care.
Dual Diagnosis - A term referring to individuals having diagnoses in one (or
more) of the following: mental illness, mental retardation or developmental
disabilities, or substance abuse.
Dysfunctional - The inability or impaired ability of a body part or system
to function as expected.
Educational Surrogate Parent - A person who is appointed to serve as a parent representative to the school, for a student receiving special education services, when parental rights have been terminated or the parents/guardians are unknown or cannot be located.
Family Care - A program in which persons with a mental illness are placed
in approved homes for room, board, and supervision.
Family Directed Planning - A Planning process in which the student and the
student’s family are the team leaders.
Family Support Groups - Self-help groups for family members who have a relative
with the disability.
Functional Disability - A diminished ability to perform
independently in specific areas of living. This conclusion is based on a
functional assessment.
Group Home - See Community Residence Guardianship Third party (e.g., parent is granted decision-making power over their child’s finances.
Halfway House - A supervised community residence or group home for individuals recovering from mental illness after they have been discharged from the hospital and before they are able to live independently.
Home-based Care - Care provided in the home in which an individual usually
lives.
Hospitalization - Placement into a large residential facility, generally operated
by a government agency. Usually refers to a developmental center or psychiatric
center.
Housing and Shelter Allowances - Cash grants or vouchers
to help people provide for housing needs.
IDEA: Individuals With Disabilities Education Act - Reauthorization of PL 94-192. These are federal regulations that govern special education, IEP, and transition services.
IDT: Intensive Day Treatment - An educational program designed to support children
and adolescents who are not currently dangerous and who are experiencing
a crisis at home and / or school. The program provides short-term, intensive
intervention, treatment, and educational sup- port. The goal of the IDT program
is to return the student to the home school within 30 days.
IEP: Individualized Education Program - The written plan designed to help develop
specific educational goals for the child with disabilities’. It identifies
disability, describes the child’s strengths and areas of need; lists
goals that the child should reach in a years time, includes short-term instructional
objectives that represent a series of skills to master or goals to accomplish;
and identifies programs and services, including regular education, that the
child will receive. A new IEP is developed each year. From age 14 on, the
IEP will also address transition needs and services.
IEP Team - A multi-disciplinary team, including the student and parents that
review evaluations and recommend special educational programs and services
for children with disabilities.
In-Home Respite / Respite Care - Services in home of the disabled individual
to relieve the usual caregiver (parent, spouse, sibling, etc.) of the care
of the individual for a period of time.
Independent Living - Living in a house or apartment alone or with others, but
not with a family member or professional staff.
Independent Living with Support - A residence of an individual’s choice
where he or she lives with support services as needed.
Independent Living Center (ILC) - Community-based programs that provide assistance
to persons with disabilities to in- sure full participation in community
life.
Intensive Case Management (ICM) - Intensive community support for individuals
recovering with mental illness.
Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation - A time-limited, ONH-licensed program
in which treatment – staff and client develop a mutually agreed on
plan that outlines specific goals, methods, and a timetable to help the client
acquire the skills and support to live, work, learn, and participate in social
relationships in the community.
Intensive Supportive Community Residence - A community residence program for
persons recovering from mental illness that provides support through daily
staff visits. Skills to be learned include meal preparation, shopping, laundry,
and cleaning.
Intermediate Care Facility for the Developmentally Disabled (ICFDD) - A licensed
group residence with close supervision from paid staff members. Training
and supervision is provided to achieve adequate social and daily living skill
in order for the resident to live in a smaller residential setting in the
future.
Invisible Disability - A disability with no visible or obvious
physical manifestation. A visible disability could include a missing limb
or Down’s syndrome.
An invisible disability could include schizophrenia or dyslexia.
Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) - A training plan written by a DVR counselor that leads to employment. Replaces the term IWRP.
Job - An immediate task, paid or unpaid.
Job Coach - A person who provides assistance to an individual with a disability
to learn or maintain a job. This can include training and support at the
job site. See supported employment.
Job Training – A program that prepares people for
job opportunities.
Learning Disabled (LD) - A processing disorder that causes students to have a problem listening, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, or doing arithmetic. A learning disability is not primarily due to the physical, mental, or emotional disability to environmental, cultural or economic factors.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) - A work, school, or living situation that
allows individuals as much freedom of choice and independence as possible
without endangering their health or physical safety.
Leisure-Time Skills - Generally refers to skills such as
developing hobbies, making choices about what recreational or social activities
to attend, deciding
how to spend free time, and put- ting the ideas into action.
Medicaid - A Colorado program of monetary assistance for people who cannot
afford to pay for medical care. Transportation and medical services are some
of the activities that can be funded by Medicaid.
Medicare - A federal health insurance program mainly for persons aged 65 or
older, with some limited benefits for younger persons who have been eligible
for Social Security disability benefits for more that two years.
Mental Illness - A general term denoting disorders that affect feelings, thoughts,
or behavior characterized by distressing symptoms or impaired functioning
over a period of time.
Mental Retardation/Cognitive Disability - Below average intellectual functioning
resulting in impaired learning, social adjustment, and maturation.
Mobile Crises Team - A team of mental health professionals who are available
in an emergency to go into homes or programs to resolve critical problems.
Multi-Disciplinary Team - A group of professional and non-professional staff,
such as teachers, nurses, social workers, doctors, speech therapists, physical
therapists, etc. This team usually includes family members and the consumer,
the student in the planning and decision- making process.
Multiply Disabled - Students who have two or more disabilities
that result in multiply sensory or motor deficiencies and developmental lags
in the cognitive,
affective, or cycle motor areas.
Networking - Sharing information services among individuals, groups, or agencies.
Neurology - The field of medicine that deals with the nervous
system and the disorders.
Occupational Therapy - Planned activity for persons with disabilities to help
them gain greater independence in living and work environments and prevent
further disabilities.
Ombudsman - A person who investigates and mediates a client’s problems
and complaints in relation to an agency’s services.
Outpatient - A patient, not hospitalized, who is treated
in an office, clinic, or other health care facility.
Partial Hospitalization - An OHM-licensed outpatient program designed to stabilize
and reduce acute psychiatric symptoms. The goal is to prevent inpatient hospitalization
or to shorten the stay of a person already hospitalized.
Pass Plan: Plan for Achieving Self Support - A work incentive for individuals
who receive SSI that allows the individuals to set aside income for achieving
a specific life goal in a specified period of time. This set aside income
is not included when determining overall assets. As a result, the con- summer
is not punished with reduced benefits for working.
Personal Adjustment Training - A DVR sponsored training period to determine
an individual’s readiness to work.
Pediatric - Concerning the branch of medicine that deals with the care of infants
and children and treatment of their disease.
Peer Counseling - A type of guidance in which persons of the same age, disability,
or other similar interest are trained to help guide others.
PL 94-142: Public Law 94-142 - Federal law signed in 1975 that mandates that
students with disabilities have the right to a free and appropriate public
education, instruction in the least restrictive environment, with equal access
and due process. Reauthorized as IDEA.
Pre-Vocational - The term referring to activities designed to prepare an individual
for a job and teach job-related behaviors.
Primary Caregiver - The person who spends the most time in caring for someone
who is unable to be independent.
Prognosis - Prediction of the course of the disease or disability.
Psychological/Psycho-educational Evaluation - An assessment of performance
and capabilities which uses psychological tests to guide the establishment
of appropriate interventions.
Psycho-Social Evaluation - An assessment of an individual’s
thoughts, emotions, and interactions with people.
Recipient/Consumer/Customer/Client - Consumer of medical rehabilitation, residential
support services.
Recreational Therapy - A structured plan to develop a healthy body and mind
through fun and relaxation.
Referral - Sending a client to another source or provider to get advice or
treatment.
Rehabilitation - The process of regaining lost functions and skills.
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 - The federal act that makes provisions for training,
equipment, and other services that people with disabilities may need in order
to work and live independently in their communities.
Residential Care/Treatment - Programs providing therapeutic living environments
in community-based facilities such as community residences.
Respite - Time away from the responsibilities of caring
for someone who cannot care for him/ herself.
School to Work Opportunities Act - The federal act that provides funding for
systemic change that includes work-based, school-based and connecting activities
to create quality opportunities for all students.
Screen - To test for signs of the disorder that might require further investigation.
Section 504 (Sec. 504) - The anti-discrimination sections of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 that affects all programs receiving federal funding.
Self-Advocacy - The process of obtaining needed services for oneself.
Self-Determination - A process in which the individual’s preferences,
interests, abilities, and wishes are the focus of planning and implementing
activities.
Self-Help - Assisting oneself. Refers also to groups who meet to help one another.
Service Coordinator - An advocate chosen by the consumer to assist in assessing
health and social service systems and to assure that all required services
are obtained.
Sheltered Workshop - A place where individuals with disabilities work for pay
(usually below minimum wage), while they learn vocational skills.
Sliding Scale Fee - Amount of money charged for professional services based
on a client’s ability to pay.
Supplemental Needs Trust (SNT) - An irrevocable trust that takes effect during
a parent’s lifetime, generally used to supplement the government benefits.
Social Security - Federal government income plan payable to retied workers,
survivors, and indi- viduals with disabilities, who qualify.
Special Education - Specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents,
to meet the unique needs of the child with a disability, including instruction
conducted in the classroom, homes, hospitals and institutions, and in other
settings.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Basic monthly financial assistance for
people with disabilities who are not gainfully employed and for the elderly.
Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) - Provides benefits to workers or
certain members of a worker’s family who may qualify, based on impairment
severe enough to prevent working for a year or more, or which is expected
to result in death. The definition requires total disability. Benefits will
continue as long as the person is medically disabled and not engaged in substantial
gainful employment.
Support Groups - Groups of people with similar needs and concerns who meet
together to support each other and the shared information.
Supported Apartment - An apartment where a person with disability gets help
in order to live as independently as possible.
Supported Employment - A program for persons with substantial disabilities
designed to assist integration into competitive employment.
Supported Living Arrangement (SLA) - A group residence where
an individual lives with minimum supervision from paid staff members. Residents
are expected
to self-administer medications, to demonstrate basic social and daily living
skills, to function independently in the community and work or attend a day
program.
Therapeutic Recreation - See Recreational Therapy
Transition - The passing from one condition, activity, or place to another.
The movement from school to adult life and the world of work. The transition
is complex and involves decisions about career, living arrangements, social
and financial goals.
Transition Services - A coordinated set of activities for students as part
of the IEP, designed to promote movement from school to post-school activities,
including post-secondary education, vocational training, integrated employment
(including supported employment), continuing and adult education, related
services, independent living, or community participation. Transition planning
becomes a part of the IEP process for students at age 14.
Triennial Review - A complete review of the student’s special
education eligibility status conducted every three years.
Vocational (Career) Assessment - The systematic collection
of information about the student’s vocational aptitudes, abilities,
expressed interests, and occupational awareness used in planning a transition
to competitive employment
or post secondary education.
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Revised (WAIS-R) - A test that measures
cognitive ability for those over 16 years of age.
Work Adjustment Training (WAT) - A DVR sponsored training period to determine
an individual’s readiness to work.
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (4th Edition) WISC-IV - A test that
measures cognitive ability for children 6 to 16 years of age.
Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) - A test that
measures cognitive ability for children less than six years of age.
Workforce (WIA) - A federal program administered by a local government body
which provides funding for vocational skills development and job placement.
ADA - American’s with Disabilities Act
ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD - Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder
AFDC - Aid to Families with Dependent Children
AT - Assistive Technology
BOCES - Board of Cooperative Services
CASE - Cooperative Association for Special Education
CATP - Colorado Assistive Technology Project
CCB - Community Center Board
CCCS -Colorado Community College System
CD – Cognitive Disability, Cognitively Disabled
CDE - Colorado Department of Education
CDLE - Colorado Department of Labor& Employment
CF - Cystic Fibrosis
CILA - Community Independent/Integrated Living Arrangement
CMHC - Community Mental health Center
CP - Cerebral Palsy
CRA - Community Residential Alternative
CSLA - Community Supported Living Arrangement
DD - Developmentally Disabled, Developmentally Delayed
DDD - Division of Developmental Disabilities
DHS - Department of Human Services
DPH - Department of Public Health
DRS - Division of Rehabilitation Services (Formerly DORS)
DSS - Department of Social Services
DT - Developmental Training
DVR - Division of Vocational Training
EBD - Emotional / Behavioral Disorder
ED - Emotional Disturbance, Emotionally Disabled
EH - Educationally Handicapped
EMH - Educable Mentally Handicapped
EMR - Educable Mentally Retarded
ESY - Extended School Year
FAPE - Free Appropriate Public Education
GT - Gifted / Talented
HCFA - Health Care Finance Administration
HCPF - Health Care Policy and Financing
HMO - Health Maintenance Organization
ISBE - Illinois State Board of Education
ICFDD - Intermediate Care Facility for the Developmentally Disables
I&R - Information and Referral
IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEP - Individual Education Program
IETC – Illinois Employment and Training Center
ILC - Independent Living Center
IRW - Impairment Related Work Expense
ITP - Individual Transition Plan
JTPA - Job Training Partnership Act
K - 12 - Kindergarten through 12th Grade
LD - Learning Disability
LEA - Local Education Agency
LRE - Least Restrictive Environment
LCSW - Licensed Certified Social Worker
MD - Muscular Dystrophy
MI - Mental Illness
MR - Mental Retardation
MS - Multiple Sclerosis
O&M - Orientation and Mobility
OJT - On the Job Training
OT - Occupational Therapy
OTR - Registered Occupational Therapist
PASS - Plan for Achieving Self-Support
PCD - Perceptual Communicative Disorder
PE - Physical Education
PT - Physical Therapy (Therapist)
PUNS – Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services
SEP - Supported Employment Program
SGA - Substantial Gainful Activity
SLA - Community Supported Living Arrangement
SLS - Supported Living Services
SPED - Special Education
SSA - Social Security Administration
SSI - Supplemental Security Income
SSDI - Social Security Disability Insurance
STEP – Secondary Transitional Experience Program
STW - School-to-Work; School-to-Career
SWAAAC - State Wide Alternative Augmentative Assistive Communication
TANF - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury
TMA - Trainable Mentally Handicapped
TMH - Trainable Mentally Handicapped
TMR - Trainable Mentally Retarded
TPC - Transition Planning Committee
TWP - Trial Work Period
VH - Visually Handicapped
VI - Visually Impaired
VR - Vocational Rehabilitation
WFDC - Work Force Development Center
WIA - Workforce Investment Act
WOTC - Work Opportunities Tax Credit
WTW - Welfare-to-Work
Copyright 2007 Western Region Transition Planning Committee