An Outreach Program: Addressing the Needs of the Physically Impaired in Rural Communities.

The paper describes a joint effort by the Easter Seal Society and the Arkansas State Department of Education to help rural districts provide appropriate services to orthopedically impaired students. The resulting outreach program provided on-site (school or home) evaluation of students' needs and practical guidelines in non-technical terms to meet those needs. Evaluation covered the psychological, therapy, special educational, and adapted physical education domains. Consultation was offered in both direct services (such as equipment loan, instruction in therapeutic handling and facilitation, and adaptation of games and activities) and indirect services (including help in finding funding sources for equipment and providing inservice training for staff). Program impact over a 7-year period is analyzed and ongoing challenges are noted. A program flowchart and an equipment list are appended. (CL)