AAIDD F.Y.I.
July 2007, Vol.7, No.7
Visit www.aaidd.org/FYI/ to access current and past issues of this monthly newsletter. Subscribe at http://www.responsetrack.net/aamr/sign_up.
Dear AAIDD Friends and Colleagues:
NEW AAIDD BOOK PROVIDES A BLUEPRINT TO ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES ON HOW TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
Three noted experts—Robert Schalock, Valerie Bradley, and James Gardner—with 110 years in the intellectual disability field—team up to write a book on best practices in introducing the concept of quality of life for people with intellectual disability within organizations and community systems. Written for a primary audience of service providers and policy makers, the authors propose a quality assessment and improvement methodology grounded in person-centered needs and outcomes. The book also contains a review of the federal government’s new and comprehensive quality improvement/quality assurance expectations in home and community-based services and contains specific examples of state efforts and results.
To download an excerpt from Quality of Life for People with Intellectual and Other Developmental Disabilities or to purchase the book, visit http://bookstore.aaidd.org. For questions, email books@aaidd.org
NEW REPORT DOCUMENTS THE SEVERE HOUSING CRISIS FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL AND OTHER LONG-TERM DISABILITIES IN AMERICA
Priced Out in 2006 documents the continued lack of affordable and accessible housing for people with long-term disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, chronic illness, and mental illness. The national average for a one-bedroom apartment is at $715 and a studio/efficiency is at $633, and both are higher than the entire monthly income of people with disabilities who rely on the Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI) program. The report is published by the Technical Assistance Collaborative and the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities, and is available to read and download at http://www.tacinc.org/Pubs/PricedOut.htm.
ACTIVITIES OF MEDICAID AGENCIES NATIONWIDE TRANSFORM INSTITUTIONAL SYSTEMS INTO COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS USING FEDERAL SYSTEMS CHANGE GRANTS
In 2000, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation authorizing Real Choice Systems Change grant programs to help states develop the infrastructure needed for seniors and individuals with disabilities to live in integrated community settings, as opposed to being served in nursing homes or institutional settings. Administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, over $243 million dollars have been awarded so far to all the states to support these activities. A new report by the National Health Policy Forum tracks the community-based activities state Medicaid agencies have conducting since receiving these federal dollars. Medicaid is the nation’s primary source of financing and delivering community-based health and long-term services to children and adults with disabilities.
Click here to read Trading Places: Real Choice Systems Change Grants and the Movement to Community-Based Long-Term Care Supports.
WHY HAS THE INTERNET BECOME SO IMPORTANT TO THE WORK OF SELF ADVOCATES? READ ABOUT IT IN INTELLECTUAL & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
An article in the new issue of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities talks about the historical origin of the use of the Internet in the self-advocacy movement and explains the benefits of its use to self-advocates. Click here to read Making Links, Making Connections: Internet Resources for Self-Advocates and People with Developmental Disabilities. The article appears in the June 2007 issue of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. To read a table of contents from this issue, click here.
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY IS SEEKING FEEDBACK FROM LOCAL COMMUNITIES ON HOW THEY HANDLE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND DISASTER RELIEF FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
In order to identify proven examples of community efforts in the areas of disaster relief, emergency preparedness, and homeland security for people with disabilities, the National Council on Disability (NCD), a U.S. federal agency, is seeking public comments to specific questions and themes by July 16, 2007. Click here to learn more.
AAIDD F.Y.I. is compiled by Anna Prabhala, Editor and is published by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Formerly AAMR). Please submit comments, suggestions, tips, and news to annap@aaidd.org. For more information on becoming an AAIDD member, visit http://www.aaidd.org/Membership/index.shtml. To purchase AAIDD products, visit http://bookstore.aaidd.org.
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Access past issues of AAIDD F.Y.I. at www.aaidd.org/FYI/.
© Copyright 2007 American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
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