People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are overrepresented in the criminal legal system. Further, many people with IDD move between large state-run institutions and the criminal legal system. In 2019, for example, 29% of people moving into large state-run institutions came from jails, prisons, and other correctional…

This brief uses publicly available data from the National Core Indicators® (NCI)-IDD Staff Stability Survey to compare wages of direct support professionals (DSPs) to what people earn in other similar professions. It also puts them in context by comparing DSP wages to living wages--the cost of living based on typical expenses that meet minimum…

This brief contains findings from a recent study exploring direct support professionals (DSPs) providing support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of finding and keeping quality DSPs in a field that has experienced high turnover for decades. This problem is exacerbated…

The large, often miserable, state-run institutions that used to house people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) are closing as people with IDD increasingly live in community. Most states are actively working to close the remaining large state-run and non-state IDD institutions. If current trends continue, the remaining state-run…

It is well known that there is a critical shortage of direct support professionals (DSPs) who support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live in the community. While the work is high-skilled and varied in nature, wages remain low. COVID-19 had unprecedented adverse effects on DSPs, the people they support, organizations,…

Since most individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities live at home, engaging families in social inclusion efforts is important to build more inclusive communities. This project was exploratory, mixed methods research about supporting families in how to expand social inclusion for their adult children who were living at home. There…

People with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) live in many different types of settings including homes of their own, with a family member, with a host or foster family, or in a provider owned or operated setting. Most live with a family member and receive informal supports from family members and friends. Some also receive supports…

Person-centered positive supports are about empowering people with disabilities to live lives that fully reflect their individuality and their humanity. They're about using evidence-based positive practices in the service of the needs, values, and goals of the person receiving the support. And they're about promoting quality of life for people in…

This "Policy Research Brief" summarizes publicly-available data sources that provide information about the employment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It provides important information about these data sources, including their purposes, key definitions, and where to access the public data. Using these data…

This "Policy Research Brief" presents the current state of the Taxonomy for Postsecondary Education Programs for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, along with examples of how it can be used. The purpose of the taxonomy is to provide a basis for comparing the features of the growing number of postsecondary…