SPECIAL NEEDS
Assessment of Early Intervention Services—In 1986, the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council contracted with WRI to examine the service needs of children from infancy to five years of age who have developmental disabilities. The study was undertaken in response to (1) growing recognition that early intervention can be particularly effective in limiting the adverse impacts of developmental disabilities, and (2) awareness of gaps in service delivery for preschool children. The study emphasized the design of programmatic, administrative, and financial models based on survey data, interviews, and research into the field.
Assessment of Services for Visually Handicapped Children—This eleven-month project in 1977 investigated the range of services being provided to visually handicapped children, identifying additional service needs of these children and projecting the costs for development of any needed services. The final report contains recommendations for changes in the current service delivery system.
Autism in New York State—In 1981, the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities contracted with WRI to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information regarding the incidence of autism in New York State and an overview of effective modes of treatment. In addition to providing this information, WRI also dealt with the issue of how autism is defined, as a prerequisite for determining the prevalence of the condition. Among modes of treatment, particular attention was given to aversive control. The project report includes a complete listing of service programs for people with autism in New York State, as well as a description of several “exemplary” programs in New York and New England.
Domestic Violence in Households Containing a Mentally Retarded or Developmentally Disabled Person—In 1984-85, WRI conducted a two-year research study of the relationship between the incidence of domestic violence and the presence of a mentally or developmentally disabled family member. As an extension of this project, WRI developed a training program to sensitize domestic violence service providers to the needs of families with developmentally disabled members and to alert them to the stress factors in such families that could lead to domestic violence.
Early Intervention Programs in New Jersey—A major research effort of WRI’s Developmental Disabilities Training and Resource Center was a study of programs in the state of New Jersey for infants (aged 0-3 years) who were or might become developmentally disabled. The 1980 study found that, while the programs were diverse, they were generally regarded highly by parents and were providing a valuable service.
Evaluation Design for the New York State Deinstitutionalization Program—Deinstitutionalization activities in four states were evaluated by WRI in 1977 in anticipation of the development of an evaluation study of New York State’s deinstitutionalization program. When this four-state evaluation was completed, the project team analyzed the New York State program and developed a series of management strategies which could be used by the state.
Evaluation of a Developmental Screening and Diagnosis Test Battery—This project involved monitoring and evaluating the development and implementation of a short-form developmental screening instrument to be inserted into routine pediatric health assessments to allow for the identification and follow-up treatment of children “at risk” because of developmental problems. The 1978 project included the development of a referral system for services within Roosevelt Hospital and elsewhere in New York City and a tracking and monitoring system for referrals.
Evaluation of the Parents as PEERS Program—The SSI Disabled Children’s Program of the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) established a program to provide the parents of disabled children with the skills and emotional and social support they need to maintain their children at home. In 1982, WRI contracted with OMRDD to evaluate the Parents as Peers program, to determine the efficacy of its design and implementation and to assess its effect on family relationships and on parents skills and social and emotional well-being.
Evaluation of the United Cerebral Palsy Bronx Recreation Program—In 1981, United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of New York City received a grant from the Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education, to assist in developing an outdoor recreation program and facilities at the organization’s 13-acre site in the Bronx. WRI’s evaluation involved visits to the recreation site to market the progress of physical renovations and to observe client recreation activities; gathering information on client characteristics and degree of benefit from the program; and interviews with UCP leaders and program staff.
Feasibility of a Coordinated Funding Approach for Services to the Mentally Retarded—In cooperation with the New York State Department of Social Services and the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, in 1979 WRI conducted a planning feasibility study to explore and develop a plan for coordinated, “pooled” funding for mental retardation programs and services throughout New York State.
Identifying Best Practices of the Community Residential Program—This project, funded in 1986 by the New York State Governor’s Office of Employee Relations and the Committee on the Work Environment and Productivity, involved a study of community residence programs operated either directly by the State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities or under purchase-of-service contracts by voluntary agencies. The study, which included a consumer satisfaction questionnaire, found “no evidence of significant systemic differences” between public and private programs.
Information on Neurological Impairments—Through a 1984 grant from the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, WRI provided the New York Association for the Learning Disabled with a handbook describing each of six neurological impairments and offering practical considerations for providing appropriate services, to be distributed to relevant professionals and local government officials. WRI also developed an organizational manual for use by advocate organizations in New York State.
Research on Intellectual and Operational Correlates with Successful Reading—With funding from the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation, WRI studied linguistic and other cognitive correlates with successful reading at the most basic level of intellectual functioning. Using cerebral palsied and developmentally delayed children in a special school as the target group, the study was aimed at developing effective reading readiness experiences for children with perceptual and cognitive delays.
Respite Care for Children with Developmental Disabilities—WRI’s 1985 study of the use of homemaker services in New York City pointed up the great need for homemaker and related services (home attendants and home health aides) for the families of severely disabled children. In response to this need, WRI, in cooperation with the Community Service Society, studied the barriers to obtaining respite services and practical ways of making them more readily available.
Support Services to Region II Developmental Disabilities Staff—Following the passage of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (PL 94-103), WRI was awarded a contract in 1980 to establish the Region II Developmental Disabilities Training Systems and Technical Resource Center. The major goals of this center were to provide information, training and technical assistance to developmental disabilities councils and agencies throughout HHS Region II—New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. In addition, the center produced a quarterly newsletter/journal for professionals, advocates, and consumers, produced a catalog of formula grant projects, and studied service programs in the region.
Support Services to the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council—From 1983 to 1985, WRI assisted the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council by providing monitoring and data collection instruments on Council-funded clients, agencies, and projects; conducting workshops for grantees; assisting the Council with public education activities; and producing a variety of documents on developmental disabilities programs in New York State.
