A MODEL preschool program for handicapped Indian children in the Tucson area is being developed by the University of Arizona. In 1968, Congress passed the Handicapped Children's Early Education Assistance Act, designed to assist communities in developing demonstration programs for handicapped preschool children, as research has shown that these children are aided most at the preschool level. The Department of Special Education, College of Education, received a $27,378 planning grant from the Bureau of Education for handicapped children with plans for operational grants of $100,000 each for the next two years.

Dr. George Leshin, head of the Special Education department, stated that the project is the only one that has been funded in the United States for handicapped preschool Indian children, "who represent one of the most neglected minority groups in the country."

In and around Tucson there are approximately 7,000 Papago, Yaqui, Pima, Navajo, Hopi and Apache Indians. These urban Indians do not generally participate in or benefit from programs established by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The two major tribes residing in Tucson are the Papagos and Yaquis. Approximately 5,500 of the 10,000 Papago Indians in Arizona live on reservations. A high percentage of "off-reservation" Papagos live in Tucson. There are three Yaqui communities in the Tucson area numbering some 3,000 persons.

The project advisory board will include representatives from the various Indian communities. Indians will be involved in all aspects of the project's development and implementation, and will plan the parent program. During the operational years, teachers, paraprofessionals and aides will be recruited from the Indian population and provide training as needed to participate in all aspects of the project.

Children selected for the program will be those with physical, mental and/or emotional problems. The majority will be children suspected of intellectual and developmental language problems. Many Indian children enter the first grade with English language deficits which can become cumulative and result in an overwhelming number of dropouts.

The first phase of the planning grant year was devoted to developing an understanding of the organization of the Tucson Indian communities as well as relationships between the Indians and various social, religious and education agencies. In attempting to insure the cooperation of the Indian people, it is necessary to understand their life style and the community problems with which they are faced daily.

The second phase of the planning grant year involved a survey of prevalence of preschool Indian children in Tucson. This was accomplished with cooperation of the Bureau of Ethnic Research, UA Department of Anthropology, and Pima County Vital Statistics. From these records a roll was made of approximately 450 Indian preschool children.

The third phase of the planning grant year involved the development of screening procedures and instruments to be used in identifying handicapping conditions among Indian preschool children. This was necessary as conventional screening techniques are not appropriate for the Indian preschool population.

The project is moving into its fourth phase, screening of Indian preschoolers for handicapping conditions, and scheduling of in-depth psychological and medical evaluation of those youngsters identified during the screening period.

The fifth phase of the project will involve development of a curriculum based on the individual needs of the children. The Indian members of the Advisory Board will develop the parent program based on needs of the parents of handicapped children.

During the last part of the first year, a small group of five to eight children with varying handicaps will be selected and assembled in a pilot class. This will afford an opportunity to test the effectiveness of the curriculum and allow time for revisions before classes begin.

During the operational years, two model preschool classes will be in progress. The parent program also will be implemented. Slated for the second and third years is the organization of a home nursing program for one- to three-year-old Indian children. A pre-service staff training program for eight will begin July 1, 1971, and in-service training will continue throughout the year.

Dr. Elizabeth Y. Sharp has been appointed as the director of the project. She is highly qualified in training and experience for this work, having obtained her B.S. degree in mental, retardation, her master's degree in communication disorders, and her Ph.D. degree in learning disabilities and special education administration.

As special consultant, Dr. Samuel A. Kirk, Professor of Special Education, will devote part of his time to the project. His wife, psychologist Winifred D. Kirk, will be volunteer part-time assistant in diagnoses of the children and in the development of the educational program.