Journal of Disability Policy Studies

Effectively integrating provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) into public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) systems will require extensive effort at both the organizational and system levels. This article presents information on WIOA provisions, enacted in July of 2014, that affect public VR systems plus rationale, strategies, and tools for implementing these provisions in a manner that promotes quality and sustainability. Both “ideal” implementation methods and “pragmatic” methods are presented based on the experience of one state’s efforts to incorporate customized employment strategies into its VR system to benefit customers who have not been successful at achieving a competitive, integrated employment outcome through traditional VR strategies.

Legislative advocacy is a prime channel for disability advocates to affect civil rights and disability-related legislation and policy that leads to improved quality of life for individuals with disabilities. To highlight the current status of disability legislative advocacy, this study examined advocacy experiences based on recent data from one state that involved 113 disability advocates and self-advocates. Analyses were conducted to examine the characteristics of advocates, the causes advocated, leadership positions, level of engagement, and frequency of engagement in the legislative advocacy process. Relations among advocates’ characteristics and advocacy experiences were also examined. Results revealed that individuals with disabilities mostly relied on their peers in the advocacy process, and the type of disability was associated with the causes advocated. In addition, holding a leadership position was associated with engagement in the legislative advocacy process.

Facilitated individualized education planning (FIEP) presents an alternative to formalized dispute resolution procedures, which can have damaging financial and relational consequences for families and schools. Although recommended as an alternative dispute resolution practice, minimal research has examined its implementation and evaluation. In this study, we described where and how FIEP was being implemented and what types of data state educational agencies (SEAs) implementing FIEP were collecting. In two phases, we contacted representatives of each SEA in the United States, asking them to complete a survey on their state’s use of FIEP, and then to share outcome and participant feedback data and data collection forms. From 43 responses in the first phase, we found that almost half of SEAs are using FIEPs (n = 24), and of those not currently using FIEP, 12 were considering implementing the practice in the future. In the second phase of the study, we found that six states that responded to the request for data captured similar content on meeting outcomes and participant feedback. Outcome data provided preliminary, initial evidence for the potential effectiveness of FIEP in achieving positive outcomes in the form of agreement or consensus regarding IEPs. Implications for practice, research, and policy are discussed.

Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2 (NLTS2) were used to examine the impact of three personal factors—race/ethnicity, gender, and family income—on self-determination (i.e., autonomy, psychological empowerment, self-realization) and early adulthood outcome constructs. Findings suggest for those with high-incidence disabilities, family income predicts postsecondary education outcomes. And males with high-incidence disabilities have greater access to services and accommodations as adults, but lower use of financial supports (i.e., use of government support programs). African American youth across disability categories reported lower levels of financial independence. Females with intellectual disability reported greater social relationships but lower levels of financial support and employment. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.

This study examines the impact of intensive training in leadership and advocacy skills on the level of knowledge about services and supports, advocacy activity, and the clarity of vision for the future of 123 individuals with disabilities and family members who participated in an annual New Hampshire Leadership Series over 7 years. There was a significant increase in knowledge about services and supports following training in every year, and consistently significant increases in advocacy activity and clarity of vision in Years 4 through 7, with particularly striking improvement associated with the addition of a stronger emphasis on person-centered planning within the curriculum. The implications of a sustained effort to develop a statewide grassroots leadership capacity on policies and practices are discussed.

Several government initiatives aim to increase the availability of home and community-based services. These efforts have helped facilitate the transition of individuals with disabilities living in institutions such as nursing facilities to community living, resulting in improved quality of life and potential health care savings. However, evidence suggests that a lack of affordable housing remains a key barrier that keeps some individuals living in institutions from transitioning to community living. This study evaluated the effect on transition rates among nursing home residents eligible for the Non-Elderly Disabled Housing Choice Voucher Program. The program provided housing vouchers that subsidized rental costs along with access to home and community-based services to nonelderly institutionalized residents with a disability. We assessed this program’s impact on the likelihood of community transitions among the target population in five areas for which these vouchers were made available. In a pooled sample of three of the five areas, the program increased community transition rates by 8.7 percentage points. This finding suggests that targeting housing vouchers to people with disabilities living in institutions could help facilitate or expedite transitions to community living.