People with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families and professionals often engage in person-centered planning to determine current and future supports needed to improve quality of life. Previous practice focused heavily on applying for disability specific supports referred to as formal supports and waiting hopefully,…

Disability service providers are often critical sources of guidance for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. This study examined the extent to which these professionals were familiar with community resources that could help support the inclusion of people with IDD in valued experiences and help meet…

Young children birth to 6-years of age and their families were each studied for 6 months to identify the everyday family and community activities that were sources of informal everyday learning opportunities. The participants included 115 children with identified disabilities or developmental delays and 91 children without disabilities or delays.…

This manual was designed primarily for use by individuals with developmental disabilities and related conditions. The main focus of this manual is to provide easy-to-read information concerning available resources, and to provide immediate contact information for the purpose of applying for resources and/or locating additional information. The…

Because child welfare workers serve the most vulnerable children and families, it is necessary that they have sufficient knowledge, skills, and values (competencies) to provide quality services. This study focuses on competencies that the Division of Child and Family Services, Utah (DCFS) views as essential for entry-level child welfare work, and…

The "Utilization of Community Resources Schedule" was given to the residence administrators of the 155 participating community facilities during on-site interviews. Results indicated that the community was the major source of most of the resources examined. The exceptions, however, comprised critical areas of day-to-day existence: socializing,…

Adults with developmental disabilities are at significant risk for health problems. Effective health promotion can improve outcomes--and that's why adult day and residential agencies, schools, and other organizations need this invaluable program development guide. An urgent call to action and a start-to-finish framework for health promotion, this…

Data about the availability, accessibility, and organization of Information and Referral services from 133 public and private service providers for people with developmental disabilities showed that Information and Referral was a widely available service although there were problems in service provisions incuding lack of awareness about services…

A screening program at rural and urban Mississippi sites to determine developmental disabilities in young children (birth to 3 years) was carried out by community volunteers who had been trained to administer the Steps-Up screening instrument. Of 244 infants and young children who were screened within a 9 month interval, 76 children were…

This information packet presents five readings about community participation and social networks of people with developmental disabilities and an annotated bibliography. The first paper, "Building Stronger Communities for All: Thoughts about Community Participation for People with Developmental Disabilities" (Robert Bogdan and Steven J. Taylor),…

A pilot project in rural Mississippi provided supported employment services to five handicapped persons. The project combined professional resources available through a community-based developmental disabilities program with existing community resources and social network systems. Project components, project development, and individual client…

The article describes the implementation and components of a program to train direct care staff working on community adjustment of developmentally disabled persons. Developed in response to local needs and respresenting an ongoing collaborative effort, the program also illustrates the role of the University Affiliated Facility in promoting…

The fourth in a series on deinstitutionalization of individuals with developmental disabilities in Ohio, the paper concentrates on the contributions of formal and informal supports. Following a review of basic planning principles, formal support services necessary for planning community-based services for persons with developmental disabilities…

The home and community adjustment of 325 families with developmentally disabled children 21 years of age or younger was examined through questionnaire responses. Factors facilitating adjustment are identified along with barriers to normalization. It is suggested that without community support over the life cycle, institutionalization may merely be…

Described is a system for providing comprehensive community residential living for the developmentally disabled. (Author/CL)