Community Inclusion

This statewide community-based participatory action research study was conducted to identify opportunities and barriers for persons with disabilities in obtaining accessible, affordable housing in West Virginia. Using surveys and a facilitated group technique, persons with disabilities identified existing barriers and developed a set of questions for housing industry professionals. This article was published in \"Housing and Society\" the journal of the Housing Education and Research Association.

This study guide is a companion piece to the DVD, IL History and Philosophy: Orientation for IL Staff. The intent is to enable those involved in systems change and home- and community-based services to reflect the lessons learned from the IL History and Philosophy DVD, and to apply these principles to their own work.

Housing Within Reach is a project of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. The project included a consumer driven longitudinal evaluation study across the state to document consumer perspectives on consumer housing preferences, and the availability, access and barriers to appropriate housing. The study included face-to-face interviews conducted with each study participant at baseline, and at six- and twelve-months.

The information included in this booklet is a starting point in educating and informing caregivers of children with disabilities about their rights and creating early expectations and models for self-determination. Also listed are a number of non-profit, cross-disability organizations offering emotional support and a wealth of information on how to get the services you need for your child in Arkansas. This user-friendly guide also includes a dictionary plus a glossary called Alphabet Soup.

The Real Choice System Change project at the University of Connecticut’s Center for Disabilities administered a Community Inclusion Assessment to determine the level and quality of inclusion. The papers in this series are based on a sample of 250 individuals with disabilities. Briefing Paper #3 explores a gap between the level of involvement and feelings about involvement. Findings suggest that assuring the opportunity of participation is only one step in making communities more inclusive.

These Person Centered Planning (PCP) presentations discuss how PCP allows consumers to plan for their preferences and do this throughout their lifespan. Presentations focus of the individual within his/her family and community and the relationships that affect PCP. The focus throughout is to identify personal preferences and to develop the plan for the future.

The Georgia QA/QI Real Choice Systems Change grant employed a variety of person centered planning (PCP) techniques in order to change services to fit the needs of consumers. This document is a variety of flyers and notices that the grantee used in order to recruit consumers to participate in its PCP focus and planning groups.

This paper reports the outcome of focus groups, interviews and written surveys conducted in 2003 by a consultant working for the Northern Area Agency on Aging in Wisconsin under a contract with the Department of Health and Family Services. Groups of elders, family members and long-term care professionals were asked to address the question of how, when and why older people make the decisions they do about long-term care.

The Utah Real Choice grant produced “The Caregiver Guide” and they have shared several modules. Topics covered include: Community Supports to Stay at Home, Caring for a family member with mental illness, Hiring and managing personal assistants, Assistive technology, Creating an accessible home, and Caring for a child with special needs. Modules are also available in Spanish.

The Turner Geriatric Clinic Social Work Department established a community-hospital liaison as part of the Michigan Nursing Facility Transition grant. This report discusses the goals of the project, its development and implementation, challenges and successes, and the end results.