The Partnerships for Diversity project offers seven master's level courses.  An abbreviated syllabus is available for the courses.

C&I 594  Perspectives on the Lives of People with Severe Disabilities
This course is taught in the Fall semester by Dr. R. Timm Vogelsberg at The University of Montana-Missoula, and covers:

•  who are we talking about - medical, physical, and educational characteristics of people with severe disabilities
•  provide historical perspective on services for people with severe disabilities
•  examine values foundation of current conceptions of best practice
•  examine legal protections and entitlements of people with severe disabilities

 examine current service practices across the life span - segregated and inclusive options
• Sample Syllabus

• low and high-tech supports for people with severe disabilities
• assistive technology options for vocal & written communication
• funding assistive devices

state AT resources - equipment loan, preview, and evaluation services
• Sample Syllabus

C&I 594  Systematic Instruction for Students with Severe Disabilities
This course is taught in the Spring semester by Dr. Gail McGregor of The University of Montana-Missoula, and covers:

• Individual program design - determining parent & student priorities; developing meaningful IEPs
• assessment issues - current & future
• environments perspective; ecological assessment; discrepancy analysis
• activity-based curriculum approaches - domestic skills, rec/leisure skills, community skills, vocational skills
• systematic instructional practices - task analysis, prompting and correction strategies; data collection

community-based instruction
• Sample Syllabus

C&I 594  Positive Approaches to Challenging Behavior
This course is taught in the Fall semester by Dr. Gail McGregor at The University of Montana-Missoula, and covers:

• reinforcement strategies
• effects of intrusive management procedures
• functional analysis of challenging behavior
• communicative functions of behavior
• teaching positive alternatives to challenging behavior
• importance of choicemaking
• Sample Syllabus

• working with families and related services personnel
• options for participation and support in general education settings
• curricular adaptation strategies
• disability and diversity in the curriculum
• changing teacher roles in inclusive schools

promoting interaction with peers
• Sample Syllabus

C&I 594 Secondary Curriculum and Program Practices for Students with Severe Disabilities
This class is currently being taught in the Spring semester at The University of Montana - Missoula, and covers:

• transition planning
• vocational options for people with severe disabilities
• aligning secondary curriculum with post-school goals
• Sample Syllabus

C&I 594 Supporting Students with Severe Disabilities to Access the General Education Curriculum
This class is currently being taught during the summer through The University of Montana - Missoula.

This course is designed to provide teachers with background about the standards-based reform movement in education, and the growing impact that it is having on programs for students with disabilities. “All means all” aptly describes the responsibility of districts and states to develop services that enable students with disabilities to learn skills that are aligned with state curriculum standards. This requires teachers to understand how students with disabilities can be supported to access the general education curriculum. After providing a foundation about standards-based reform and its relationship to students with disabilities, this course will focus on what we currently know about classroom conditions and practices that make it more possible for students with disabilities to access the general education curriculum.