ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to lay a foundation for illustrating the importance of longitudinal data collection by sharing the results of the Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) program in Pennsylvania designed to collect data over time on the quality of services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In this article, we report on the history and characteristics of the IM4Q program, describe the key variables of interest, and highlight the trends in the key variables over 3 years of data collection (2013, 2016, and 2019). The descriptive results indicate mixed trends for the three areas of focus: comparable rates of people employed in community-based settings, less support-related choice, and better everyday choice-making outcomes.
Subject(s)
Intellectual Disability , Adult , Child , Humans , Developmental Disabilities/therapyABSTRACT
Attitudes toward individuals with disabilities are often negative and deleterious, resulting in decreased opportunity and chances at successful integration into the community for these individuals. The purpose of the current study was to investigate attitudes of a group of 129 individuals attending a state-wide conference aimed toward improving quality of life of persons with disabilities. Overall, participants' attitudes were positive toward persons with disabilities. There were statistically significant age and gender related attitudinal differences, with women and younger adults generally voicing more favorable attitudes than men and older adults. Future research needs to sample a diverse population, including persons from a variety of fields as well as persons with disabilities, to examine the range of attitudes that might exist.
