People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often rely on Medicaid-funded services and supports to facilitate their daily living. The financial investment for these services is significant, yet little work has been conducted to understand how these investments affect life outcomes. This pilot study used a novel data integration…

Background: "Transforming Care" is making mixed progress in supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and complex needs, move to more appropriate specialist accommodations closer to home. Community support staff often spend greatest amounts of time with service-users, yet are some of the least heard voices about…

This paper documents the experiences of a group of parents who came together to form a human service cooperative in their local community to address the needs of their adult children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each parent felt that their child's needs were not (or could not be) met by existing providers. Parent leaders who…

Person-centered planning is a well known and widely used approach to individual program planning in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its purpose is to develop collaborative supports focused on community presence, community participation, positive relationships, respect, and competence. Because there is little research on…

A curriculum development model was formulated for training resident advisors (RAs) to work with developmentally disabled clients in small community homes. Overall findings suggested that the alternative living arrangement pilot training programs were highly effective in helping students acquire the knowledge and skills requisite to successful RA…

This site visit report describes activities, strengths, and challenges of the Area Agency for Developmental Services in Region VI of New Hampshire, with an emphasis on bringing people with developmental disabilities out of the state institution to community-based services. The agency provides case management services, family support services, and…

This paper describes a successful model of supported employment developed by a single small agency previously providing services as a segregated day activity center. Included is discussion of the service agency, program methodology, barriers to successful community-based employment, manner in which barriers were overcome, program outcomes, and…

This document is a transcript of hearings conducted in Hartford, Connecticut, before the United States Senate Subcommittee on the Handicapped on the effects of deinstitutionalization of the mentally retarded. The bulk of the testimony was given by Connecticut officials and leaders in the mental health field. They presented evidence and case…

Data on the status of residential services for developmentally disabled persons are presented, and major concepts guiding changes in such services are identified. The role of natural (least restrictive) environments in helping disabled individuals to develop both social and personal living skills is highlighted. (CB)