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Connecting every classroom, library, hospital, and clinic in the United States to the National Information Infrastructure (NII) is a priority for the Clinton Administration. This document provides a status report on this initiative by drawing from current data regarding Internet connectivity, a benchmark for NII access. Chapter 1 of the report reviews the NII initiative and discusses the importance of being connected to the NII. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the level of connectivity of U.S. public institutions to the NII. Chapter 3 highlights how communities and government are successfully partnering with the private sector to promote the development of public "on-ramps" to the NII, with federal government funding serving as a catalyst. Chapter 4 describes National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) programs and initiatives that are helping to accelerate the connection of public institutions to the NII. The report concludes that there is much work to be done before the goal of connecting every school, library, and health care organization to the NII is accomplished. Nevertheless, federal government funding programs can serve as a catalyst in this effort, spurring public-private partnerships even in disadvantages and remote areas of the country. Three tables illustrate data. (Contains 25 references.) (MAS)

The planning of conferences that are accessible to people with disabilities involves focusing on the accessibility of all aspects of the meeting, including choosing a site, promotion, registration, presentations, and handouts. Any meetings and facilities that are open to the public must comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which calls for reasonable modifications to avoid discrimination in policies, practices, and procedures. Special site accessibility needs of individuals with mobility impairments, visual impairments, and hearing impairments should be considered. Promotional material should be available in formats other than print. Registration forms should ask whether any special assistance is needed. Conference presentations should be examined in terms of the needs of individuals with visual impairments, hearing impairments, or other disabilities. Techniques are outlined for accommodating participants in cases where accommodations necessary for one person conflict with the needs of another. Contains 11 references. (JDD)

This handbook's aim is to provide information and assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to people with disabilities, businesses, and the affected public. The handbook contains annotated regulations for titles I, II, and III; resources for obtaining additional assistance; and several appendixes of supplementary information. Title I covers equal employment opportunity for individuals with disabilities, Title II addresses nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in state and local government services, and Title III focuses on nondiscrimination on the basis of disability by public accommodations and in commercial facilities. For each title, a summary and background are provided, followed by a rulemaking history, regulatory process matters, outline of the rule, and an annotated rule or regulations. The resource section lists 16 Federal government organizations and 75 nongovernment organizations, with descriptions of their activities and focus areas. Appendixes provide the text of the law, accessibility guidelines, a chart of coverage and effective dates, definitions of terms, legislative history, disability-related tax provisions applicable to businesses, Supreme Court cases and regulations related to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and a list of acronyms. (JDD)

This paper presents data concerning public playgrounds that shows a majority of American playgrounds pose hidden threats to children. It reveals that 1) 80 percent of the 1,024 playgrounds surveyed lacked adequate protective surfacing; 2) 31 percent of slides and climbing equipment surveyed did not have an adequate fall zone; 4) 48 percent of playgrounds had climbers and 36 percent had slides where height of the play equipment is greater than 6 feet; 5) 13 percent of playgrounds with swings had swing seats that are made of wood, metal, or other rigid material that increases injury severity; 6) 27 percent of playgrounds with swings had some swings that were either too close together or too close to swing supports; 7) 34 percent of playgrounds improperly sized openings in the play equipment posing a head entrapment threat; 8) 38 percent of playgrounds had small gaps, open S-hooks and other protrusions posing clothing entanglement threats; 9) 38 percent of playgrounds had unacceptable dangerous equipment, such as chain or cable walks and animal swings; and 10) 47 percent of all playgrounds had peeling, chipped, or cracking paints on equipment surfaces. Recommended corrective actions are offered. (Contains 10 endnotes.) (GR)

This report presents the findings of research conducted at 10 public sites during the Alternate Media Center/WETA-TV teletext trial in Washington, D.C., from June 1981 to July 1982, in which two different services were tested using Telidon technology. The first, which is characterized as a small electronic newspaper, placed more emphasis on timely "hard" information; the second, characterized as a small electronic feature magazine, placed greater emphasis on design and a stylized presentation of "soft" content. A discussion of teletext users and behaviors at the public sites includes teletext user characteristics, length of viewing sessions, user difficulties, quantitative data, reception problems and user trouble, and qualitative observations. Information on content selections includes gross statistics, selection of indexes and content frames, popularity of topic groups, selection rating of topic groups, most popular frames, changes in use over time, and updating and frequency of use. A section on user evaluations of the teletex service examines general reactions to the service, attractiveness of public site terminals, willingness to pay, and information wants. Final sections address social integration, terminals in public locations, costs/pricing in public locations, system issues, system features and teletext standards, and teletext and public broadcasting. Appendices contain information on service content and supplementary tables related to teletext users, content selections, and user evaluations. (LMM)

A formal review was conducted to assess the efforts made by federal agencies to implement the 1983 Emergency Jobs Appropriations Act (EJAA). (The EJAA provided emergency supplemental appropriations to provide productive employment for jobless Americans, to hasten or initiate federal projects and construction of lasting value to the nation, and to provide humanitarian assistance to indigent persons.) The review, which examined the way that 18 different federal agencies implemented the EJAA, indicated that the agencies were generally taking appropriate actions to implement the Congressional mandate expressed in the bill. It was determined that the ability of agencies to obligate Title I EJAA funds quickly was dependent, in large measure, upon the types of programs involved, with welfare-type, grant-in-aid program funds being obligated more quickly than funds for facility construction, renovation, and maintenance. By the end of 1983, a total of $933 million or about 43 percent of the Title I funds were obligated. Because no uniform, comprehensive reporting requirements exist for the number, nature, or duration of jobs created with EJAA funds, data in this area were incomplete. It appeared, however, that the agencies examined have generally allocated funds in accordance with the targeting provisions of the act. (MN)

Railroad stations are a unique American resource that should continue to serve public and private interests even though their original purpose may have passed. Large stations should be considered as prominent civic structures whose redevelopment could offer significant opportunities to influence the future character, economy, and operation of urban centers. This report tells the story of rehabilitating sturdy, often handsome structures, ideally combining in one building several uses including public transit as a component of multiple use. Ten examples of the successful reuse of stations have been selected, representing different sized stations, uses, and ways in which reuse has been accomplished. Despite these and other encouraging examples of reuse, many architecturally resplendent stations remain in jeopardy. Five examples are given of endangered stations sited on highly valuable urban land. An analysis of the economic routes open to those interested in acquiring and reusing railroad stations points out the limited money available and the necessity of the private sector joining with government if the larger stations are to be saved. (Photographs may reproduce poorly.) (Author/MLF)

Created via the Regional Development Act of 1965, the Appalachian Regional Commission documents its contributions to Appalachian socioeconomic development in this 1974 annual report. General areas of concern are identified as: (1) extension of public services to outlying areas; (2) improvement of public service quality and quantity; (3) promotion of responsible energy development; and (4) extension of local developmental responsibilities. Detailed data are provided for the following specific areas of concern: The Region and the Appalachian Experiment; The Federal-State-Local Partnership; The New Subregions; Population, Income, and Employment; Finances; Transportation; Supplemental Grants; Health; Child Development; Education; Community Facilities and Housing; Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources; and Research and Planning. Among some of the more noteworthy accomplishments cited for 1974 are: a shift from outmigration to inmigration; completion of 150 corridor miles of highway construction; acquisition of funding for comprehensive health services in 389 counties; operation of 233 child development projects and vocational education facilities with a capacity for 310,000 students; and appropriation of $37,000,000 for supplemental grants to vocational education schools, sewage treatment plants, colleges, libraries, and other public facilities. (JC)

Many school districts experiencing declining enrollments and the resultant surplus space have, with active citizen input, found workable solutions that increase the stability of neighborhoods by enriching the lives of persons of all ages. This report is a guide for educators and citizens seeking alternative uses of vacant facilities. Suggestions are made for planning that involve making enrollment projections, calculating building operation costs, considering unmet educational needs, and allowing for state and federal laws affecting the use of school buildings. A brief section reexamines the demographic picture. The main body of the text describes some of the alternative facility uses that include human services centers; use by other government agencies; and conversion to housing, private schools, colleges, and adult education facilities. The final section contains names and addresses of the districts cited, additional information sources, and a list of Educational Facilities Laboratories (EFL) reports. (MLF)

The Appalachian Regional Commission, created via the Regional Development Act of 1965, documents a decade of contributions to Appalachian socioeconomic development in this 1975 annual report. Topics covered in this report include: the ten years of foundation building; the Region before 1965; the Region and the Appalachian Regional Commission; population, employment, and income; finances; transportation; energy, environment, and natural resources; health and child development; education; community development and housing; supplemental grants; research and planning. Cited as some of the Region's more noteworthy accomplishments during the past decade are: (1) a shift from out-migration to in-migration with an average annual in-migration of close to 60,000 people during the past 5 years; (2) a 41% decline in poverty level incomes between 1960 and 1970; (3) a gain of more than one million jobs between 1965 and 1973; (4) a rise in per capita income (from 78% of the national average in 1965 to 81% in 1973); (5) a 10% increase in the number of adults who had finished high school (1960-70); (6) an increase in the average number of physicians per 100,000 residents (92 physicians per 100,000 in 1963 and 100 physicians per 100,000 in 1971). The appendices describe projects for 1976 and name the local development districts. (JC)

As the second annual report on policies and programs designed to improve the quality of life in U.S. rural and nonmetropolitan regions, this report: (1) presents tentative qualitative goal statements; (2) sets forth results-oriented quantitative goals for programs funded under provisions of the Rural Development Act of 1972; (3) describes the processes designed to validate and refine these goal statements and targets; and (4) presents data reflecting U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development activities during 1974. Rural development legislation provides the basis for national goals on employment, income, population, housing, and quality of community services, and this report articulates both qualitative and quantitative goals for each of these major areas. The qualitative goals are articulated as follows: (1) Assist in the creation of a climate conducive to growth in the employment base of rural America; (2) Contribute to the development of job opportunities in rural areas which generate incomes equal to the purchasing power in metropolitan areas; (3) Support a balance between rural and metropolitan populations compatible with the overall national quality of life and economic health; (4) Facilitate the attainment of access to standard quality housing; (5) Aid local governments to provide equal access to community facilities and services for nonmetropolitan residents. (JC)

To understand and document the image and the reality of old age and older Americans, the National Council on the Aging (NCOA) commissioned the major, in-depth survey which examined public attitudes and expectations and documented older Americans' views and personal experiences. Consisting of statistical tables, textual analysis, and subjective discussions of implications, the report presents a major overview of the survey's findings in eight sections: (1) public attitudes toward old age, (2) public expectations of people over 65, (3) social and economic contribution of people 65 and over, (4) preparation for old age, (5) the experience of being older, (6) accessibility and use of community facilities by the public 65 and over, (7) the media and the image of people 65 and over, and (8) the politics of old age. The study found that most older Americans desire to and can be productive and that many millions live at or below the poverty line. Considered extremely significant, the findings related to public policy include these: Almost all americans believe social security payments should automatically rise with living costs; most agree that the Federal government should use general tax revenues for supporting older people, and oppose mandatory retirement at a fixed age. (Author/AJ)

This second book furthers the advocacy position of its predecessor in putting old railroad stations to new uses for combined public and commercial purposes, including arts and educational centers, transportation hubs, and focal points for downtown renewal. Sixteen stations are described that have been converted by either nonprofit organizations, commercial developers, or in part by the federal government to be used for transportation centers. A large section of the book explains some of the intricacies of financing that should be understood by a nonprofit group before successfully developing a railroad station. The subjects include how to evaluate a project's economic feasibility, how to reduce the cost of both acquiring a property and operating it after conversion, how to determine the real cost of financing the project, and how to determine the marketability of the proposed conversion. Listed are 30 government agencies that can give financial help to commercial and nonprofit groups working to reuse stations. (Author/MLF)

The following tables are the result of the Council on Higher Education study of 1972-73 unit costs in public institutions on higher education. This study is the first effort in this state (and perhaps any state) to clearly relate all costs to the instructional, research, and public service efforts of all the public institutions of higher education. The information base has been built from a detailed level (e.g., upper division biology courses or dental assistant technology courses started after the eighth day of instruction) and aggregated upward. This report includes information covering the community colleges, the state colleges, and the two universities. The cost data are presented in a format compatible with the "Program Decision Structure," and are also compatible with structures being developed nationally for the presentation and analysis of higher education costs. In reviewing the figures contained in this report, comparisons of overall averages except in those cases where the institutions offer reasonably similar instructional programs should be avoided. The same rule applies to comparisons of graduate costs at the state colleges and universities where the differences in program size and type significantly affect costs. (Author/KE)

In response to concerns resulting from changes in metropolitan growth during the past decade, and the concomitant gain in population of nonmetropolitan areas, this study was conducted in an effort to understand the effects of such growth on the quality of rural life and the physical environment. Data analyzed dealt with safisfactions, perceptions, evaluations, behaviors, and environmental characteristics, as seen by rural residents in three national and one regional (northern Michigan) surveys conducted between 1971 and 1976. The studies, which included questionnaires, personal interviews, and telephone interviews, defined the population groups by age, race, income and educational levels, job status, and occupation, with the last three categories looked at separately for men and women. Results indicated a somewhat "mixed picture" of life in rural America. In most instances, a greater satisfaction than dissatisfaction was seen in rural areas than in urban areas, but rural residents taken as a whole were seen to be neither better nor worse off than urban Americans. Stemming from limitations of using available national data in characterizing life in rural America, six issues concerning research tasks were identified which should be addressed by policy makers and other groups and individuals concerned with the quality of rural life. (JD)

For many small-town citizens the post office remains an essential institution, not only as a collector and distributor of the mails but also as a focal point of sociability and intimacy, as a news center, and as a provider of special neighborhood services and counseling. In order to provide data for the Postal Rate Commission (charged with reviewing appeals from patrons of post offices which the Postal Service has decided to close or consolidate), this research paper reports the sociological implications and community effects resulting from the closing of a post office in a small rural community. Data were derived from interviews with 151 residents in 37 communities in 19 states and in all 5 U.S. Postal Regions. Conclusions focus primarily on the viability of the community whose post office may be closed. If the community shows signs of being a strong one, then the closing of its post office would cause significant, perhaps irreparable, harm. If, however, the community exists in name only, with few people supporting or being served by its post office, the closing of such a facility would have little adverse effect. Twenty-one vital signs, principally tests of the vigor of a community's relationship with its post office, are presented to assist the Postal Service in determining community viability. (NEC)

A plan to diffuse instructional modules for the preparation of transportation professionals is presented, based on research and demonstration projects sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA). The diffusion/adoption plan involves: developing instructional modules; disseminating the modules to professors teaching transportation courses at the college level; promoting the use and adoption of the modules; and evaluating and revising the plan. Transportation educators teach in a variety of disciplines (e.g., engineering, public administration, urban planning, and technology). Eight design and evaluation criteria for the instructional modules are listed, along with the procedures used by West Virginia University in developing the five instructional modules. The diffusion strategy involves repackaging UMTA research findings, change agents, and the use of information channels (e.g, television/radio, periodicals, direct mail). Adoption tactics include direct contact and conferences/workshops. Appendices include: a flow chart of the plan, a summary of diffusion research, and lists of relevant professional associations and periodicals. (SW)

The background and objectives of the 1985-1986 Transportation Education Project of the Urban Mass Transportation Agency (UMTA) are discussed, along with project activities. The project was undertaken to transfer knowledge gained from federally-sponsored research and demonstrations to transit systems and to include the knowledge in college courses that deal with public transportation. In 1983 UMTA funded West Virginia University to develop instructional modules based on UMTA innovations in three areas: paratransit, market segmentation planning, and transportation brokerage. The modules are flexible and concept-based and were developed through extensive reviews and field tests by transportation educators and experts. Appendices include: a list of field reviewers and field tests of instructional modules and reviewers of the diffusion/adoption plan, a module field review questionnaire, a module field test questionnaire, a list of conferences and presentations by the project team in developing the diffusion/adoption plan, and the field review questionnaire for the plan. (SW)