Browsing by Subject "Institute on Community Integration"
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Item Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence in Minnesota(2022) Sample, Jeannette; Esler, Amy; Hall-Lande, Jennifer; Hallas, Libby; Higginbotham, Courtney; Poynter, JennyItem The Direct Support Workforce and COVID-19: Low Wages and Racial Disparities(2022) Pettingell, Sandra; Bershadsky, Julie; Kramme, Julie; Hewitt, Amy; Smith, JerryThere is a critical shortage of direct support professionals (DSPs) who support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to live in the community. This shortage has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. DSPs support people in a variety of areas (e.g., employment, daily living, relationships, and health) and their work involves a high level of skill. However, the high-skilled and varied nature of this work is not reflected in DSPs’ wages, which remain low. A high level of responsibility for providing supports to people with significant support needs paired with low wages has likely contributed to the high turnover (42.8%) and vacancy rates (11.2%) of this workforce (NCI, 2020). Using a national sample of the direct support workforce, we examined racial differences in wages, annual household income, and extra hours worked during the pandemic. Significant differences were found for all outcomes. These issues are important as they affect staff well-being and retention which are important regarding services and supports provided to individuals with intellectual disabilities receive. Policy recommendations to address these disparities are provided.Item How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted direct support professionals across the United States?(2022) Kramme, Julie; Pettingell, Sandra; Bershadsky, Julie; Hewitt, Amy; Smith, JerryIn March 2020, many businesses, schools, and organizations supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) closed their doors or changed how they operated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Direct support professionals (DSPs) continued to work but in different ways or different places. DSPs are interdisciplinary professionals who provide complex and essential supports to individuals with IDD, making community inclusion a reality. Many stories emerged of the significant challenges in providing supports safely to individuals with IDD during the pandemic. Staff from the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration and the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals knew it was important to hear directly from DSPs and frontline supervisors about their experiences. In response, we developed a series of three surveys that were completed by over 18,000 respondents from across the country. The findings from these surveys provide critical information about DSP experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, DSP experiences are informing effective policy and practice decisions about what is needed. These findings help better prepare for potential future waves of this or other pandemics. Key findings will be presented as well as highlighting responsive outreach activities.Item NCEO’s Online Research Databases on English Learners and Special Education Students: Your Future Research Tool?(2020-03) Rogers, Chris; Hochstetter, Angela; Lazarus, SherylThis session highlights several interactive online resources available for undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers investigating academic research on accessibility and accommodations for students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities, as well as research-based publications on the instruction and assessment of students with significant cognitive disabilities who participate in the alternate assessment. The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) in the Institute on Community Integration has compiled three online bibliographies that contain collections of academic studies on educational supports. The Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Bibliography contains information about empirical studies on the effects of various testing accommodations for students with disabilities. Similarly, the Accommodations for English Learners Bibliography contains information about empirical studies on the effects of various testing accommodations for English learners. The Alternate Assessment (AA-AAAS) Bibliography contains information about research-based publications on alternate assessments and standards-based instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities. These interactive bibliographies allow users to gain understandings that can spur new directions for future research inquiry, and can jump start searches for relevant literature. Learn more about the Bibliographies at the poster session, and even try out a demonstration search on an available laptop at our poster session!Item Shifting Tides in Medicaid Supports for People with IDD(2022) Neidorf, Jon; Larson, SherylThe Residential Information Systems Project (RISP) has studied residential settings and deinstitutionalization trends for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for more than 40 years. Of the estimated 7.43 million people with IDD in the US, 18% get publicly funded supports. Most people with IDD live with family members throughout their lives, including 59% of the people getting funded supports. The number of people getting supports increased from 174,823 in 1988 to 949,108 in 2018, and spending increased from $6.3 billion to $51.9 billion. However, expenditures for people with IDD as a proportion of total Medicaid spending declined. Today, more than 200,000 people with IDD are waiting for publicly funded supports. Chances of getting supports vary by state. Adults with IDD in some states are 10 times more likely to get supports than adults in other states. The proportion of service recipients living with family members ranges from less than 10% to 88%. In 1977, more than 80% of people with IDD who did not live with family members lived in institutions. Today, 83% live in settings of six or fewer people. Only 115 of the 376 state-run IDD institutions in operation since 1960 remain open.