The current standard in providing residential services for individuals with severe disabilities favors serving small groups of people with similar levels of assistance needs in ordinary housing units, which are owned or leased by nonprofit agencies, funded by a mix of federal and state funds, and employ shift workers who provide professionally…

Results of a nationwide study of public mental retardation/developmental disabilities spending in the states during Fiscal Years 1977 through 1986 were analyzed and identified trends such as continuing growth in spending for community services, contraction of total spending for institutional operations, and predominance of support for intermediate…

In response to comments on his nationwide study of public mental retardation/developmental disabilities spending in the states, the author considers classification of funds (income maintenance, large private facilities and prisons, nursing homes, and education/vocational rehabilitation), values, determinants, civil rights, and reform. (DB)

The article describes the conflict between parents and state governments regarding the relative liability in financial responsibility for residential placement of handicapped, particularly developmentally disabled, children and comments on implications of the "Parks v. Pavkovic" decision in Illinois which held the state financially…

This paper addresses the processes by which state agencies regulate services for individuals with developmental disabilities and explores whether the regulatory process can be directed to issues affecting the quality of life of people receiving developmental services. Limitations of regulations include the unpredictability of long-term effects,…

Institutions for people with disabilities can be "deinstitutionalized" by changing the way they are organized and regulated. The process of developing community learning environments in residential programs involves design of daily living routines, assessment of residential living skills, identification of teaching objectives, development of…

The five responses to a nationwide study of public mental retardation/developmental disabilities spending in the states focus on such aspects as needed data for policy choices, classification decisions in the original study, the need for policy research, the need to reform Medicaid, and values in the funding of social services. (DB)

Interviews with 137 primary caregivers with developmentally disabled family members (ages 2-62) on waiting lists for out-of-home placement found that caregiver stress was a significant predictor of the urgency of placement need. Behavior problems of the disabled person were almost as important. Lack of support services was correlated with…

This policy research brief summarizes three studies on training direct service personnel serving people with developmental disabilities, conducted at the Research and Training Center on Residential Services and Community Living, University of Minnesota. The studies provide information on competency-based training, effective training strategies,…

The plan presents information relating to persons with developmental disabilities and other substantial handicaps in Alaska. A joint effort by state planning and service providing agencies, the plan was developed with input from consumers as well as providers. An introduction to the document is followed by an overview of the state and the…

This analysis of survey activities of the Accreditation Council for Services for Mentally Retarded and Other Developmentally Disabled Persons (ACMRDD) is designed to provide program administrators and state agency officials with comprehensive descriptive information on 296 surveys conducted by the council from 1980 through 1984. Part I of this…

This paper considers implications of the findings of the Texas Performance Review concerning mental retardation services, in light of decreasing numbers of students at state schools and budgetary restraints on major investments in both institutional operations and community service programs. The paper concludes that Texas should consider closing…

A national survey gathered information from 47 states concerning small-scale community living options of 15 or fewer placements for older individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities. The survey collected data on long-term funding, support services, mandates and regulations, efforts of interagency task force planning, and…

A project entitled "Using Accreditation Results for Statewide Program Evaluation" reviewed agency and client characteristics and outcomes for surveys conducted between 1980 and 1984 by the Accreditation Council for Services for Mentally Retarded and Other Developmentally Disabled Persons (ACMRDD) and the Commission on the Accreditation of…

This report discusses basic issues in the provision of residential services for people with developmental disabilities. Main points of the discussion include: (1) the service system for this population is in a crisis of accountability as meeting safety and quality requirements threatens to become counterproductive; (2) the current system is well…