Physical Disabilities

Traces the development of the oftentimes confusing array of programs and services in the U.S. health and long-term care system, and describes how service providers can help families pull the pieces together. The monograph examines the challenges facing caregivers and offers a list of useful resources available to providers and caregivers. Part of a series of reports from Family Careigver Alliance. This publication is supported by a grant from the Archstone Foundation.

How would a system of supports look if people with disabilities and their circle of friends, or network, were truly in charge of their own needs, if they truly achieved self-determination? This paper is a call to action and an illustration of the depth of change required if we are truly to become responsive to people with disabilities.

Changes in characteristics, insurance status, and health care access were illustrated in this study that analyzed survey data on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries during the six-year window surrounding SSDI entitlement. Findings suggest that there are significant gaps in the safety net for disabled workers before, during, and after the transition to SSDI.

The CHOICE website is devoted to Inclusion, Childcare, and Education. The site is intended as a gateway to services for young children in Nevada, but the site's resources will be useful to people across the country. The site hosts information, supports, services, video clips and polls. The Make A CHOICE Project promotes quality childcare and supports inclusion of all children in childcare and educational settings, especially those with disabilities and chronic healthcare conditions.

How can person-level data in the Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX) data system be used to better understand Medicaid long-term care service use and expenditures? In the analysis, the authors: compare expenditure and utilization-based measures of the balance of institutional and community-based LTC services; examine Medicaid LTC expenditures and utilization for two key groups of enrollees; decompose community-based LTC service expenditures by type of service; and summarize other Medicaid services.

The purpose for this request for proposals (RFP) was to solicit proposals from qualified entities to provide under contract with the Department of Human Services a state-wide web-based online consumer information resource, personal assessment, and directory of services for people who are aging and people with disabilities, including developmental disabilities and mental illness.

The Texas Promoting Independence Plan is the comprehensive, effectively working plan called for as a response to the U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead decision. The Plan includes all long-term care services and supports and the state’s efforts to improve the provision of community-based alternatives. The goal is to ensure that these programs effectively foster independence and acceptance of people with disabilities and provide opportunities for people to live productive lives in their communities.

This teleconference is designed to assist grantees that are preparing new curricula for trainings and other activities or who are engaged in the effective communication of information. Kathleen McInnis-Dittrich is the presenter for this teleconference, and she is an Association Professor in the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, where she teaches social work with elders, social work practice, and methods in professional education.

This Community Living Brief addresses the issue of consumer/survivor–operated programs and how they have had a significant impact on the delivery of mental health services in this country. The central values of consumer-operated services (empowerment, choice, and to a growing extent, self-determination) now are recognized within the traditional mental health system. At a systems level, consumers/survivors have a formal and recognized voice in planning, implementation, and research.

The State of Colorado plans to initiate a five-year research and demonstration program in 2002. Participants will be able to use money that otherwise would be spent on Medicaid home health agency and personal care services to purchase in-home services from attendants they personally select, hire, and train. The model is expected to improve the quality of attendant support and decrease the state's costs of providing care.