ERIC Number: EJ1471835
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1044-2073
EISSN: EISSN-1538-4802
Available Date: 0000-00-00
"A Hunt to Find Anything": The Complexities of Finding and Sharing Disability-Related Information among State Agency Staff
Emily R. Lanchak1; Erik W. Carter2; Elise D. McMillan3
Journal of Disability Policy Studies, v36 n1 p16-28 2025
U.S. state agencies are charged with addressing the service and support needs of residents with and without disabilities. Undertaking this task effectively requires having familiarity with the array of available disability-related resources and programs--both within and beyond one's own agency. We asked 212 staff from 13 state agencies about their awareness of local disability-related information and resources that could support their stakeholders. We were interested in understanding (a) their familiarity with available community resources impacting multiple areas of people's lives, (b) their experiences accessing needed information or resources, and (c) the sources of information they find most helpful in their work. State agency staff reported moderate, but mixed, familiarity with resources for supporting an array of valued experiences and key service needs. Years of experience was modestly correlated with degree of familiarity in some areas. In addition, state agency staff considered fellow professionals and internet sources to be useful avenues for addressing disability-related information needs. We offer implications for policy and practice aimed at creating more seamless pathways for information and resource sharing within a state and across the country.
Descriptors: State Agencies, Disabilities, Information Dissemination, Government Employees, Community Resources, Access to Education, Information Sources
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Tennessee
Grant or Contract Numbers: UL1TR000445
Author Affiliations: 1Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; 2Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA; 3Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA