The use of community-based instruction (CBI) for students with severe disabilities is a well-established method for teaching skills in the natural environment. Benefits to CBI also include opportunities for generalization and inclusion within their communities. However, with increasing pressure from administrators adhering to federal legislation mandates that focus on access to academic standards and participation in the general education classroom (IDEA, 2004; NCLB, 2002), in addition to the barriers associated with CBI (e.g., transportation, staffing; Dymond, 2012; Steere & DiPipi-Hoy, 2012), the result may be less time spent on instruction in community settings. This qualitative study investigated how special education teachers select skills to teach in the community and the factors that influence their decisions to use CBI with their students who have severe disabilities. Participants were 13 high-school special education teachers who use CBI at least once a week to teach their students with severe disabilities. The research questions were explored through semi-structured interviews. Preliminary findings suggest that teachers decide which skills to teach based upon perceived student need and parent input and that the factors that influence their decision to use CBI include (1) benefit of learning skills in the natural environment, (2) opportunity for different experiences, and (3) inclusion within the community. Session attendees will be able to:
- Identify how teachers select the skills they teach in the community;
- Understand the factors that teachers report influence their decision to use CBI; and
- Identify recommended practices to use when planning to teach students with severe disabilities in the community.
