Aspirations, Needs, and Dreams for the Future of the IL Network in California

Aspirations, Needs, and Dreams for the Future of the IL Network in California

California State Independent Living Council (SILC) Needs Assessment for 2017-2019 State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL)

Aspirations, Needs, and Dreams for the Future of the IL Network in California.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The SILC conducts a statewide needs assessment study every three years to identify underserved groups; this assessment then informs the SPIL. Like the last needs assessment conducted in 2012, the current assessment uses secondary sources of data to quantify relative levels of need – in particular, administrative data collected by ILCs and by state and federal agencies for other purposes. Like the last assessment, it also uses survey data collected from ILC directors and other members of the wider Independent Living (IL) network.

This current iteration of the needs assessment adds a rich qualitative analysis, based on interviews and focus groups that would permit members of the IL community to tell their stories and to articulate their aspirations, needs, and dreams for the future of the IL network in California.

Quantitative Analysis

The quantitative analysis we conducted used two different types of data

  1. Administrative data collected for other purposes by ILCs and reported to the SILC in the Cumulative Statewide California Independent Living Report (CILR), by the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS), by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and by the United States Census Bureau; and
  2. Surveys administered electronically or in hard copy to ILC directors, members of the wider IL network, and to consumers of IL services.

Using the administrative datasets, we calculated penetration rates, which represent the degree to which ILCs provide services to different groups in the state by geography, type of disability, and race and ethnicity. We used the survey data to identify main challenges affecting access to, and delivery of, IL services; and how youth and other consumers use the ILC system in California. Finally, we used a combination of new survey data and the Bilingual Language Survey conducted by the state Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) to identify which languages are most commonly spoken by individuals who need IL services.

The results of our quantitative analysis indicate that the SILC should support an increase in services to the following groups:

  • Individuals in poor, inland areas of the state;
  • Individuals with hearing, cognitive, and visual disabilities;
  • Asian-Americans and Latinos;
  • Youth throughout the state; and
  • Speakers of Tagalog and Armenian (specifically, by making more materials available in those languages)

Although we could not test for statistical reliability, the general trend suggests that some ILCs may find it more challenging to deliver services when the region they serve has a higher share of individuals with disabilities living in poverty.

Qualitative Analysis

The qualitative analysis we conducted was based on interviews with ILC directors and general stakeholders in the California IL community (in the Central Valley, in Concord, and in Van Nuys); and on focus groups with youth, Native populations, and veterans. In each case, we tailored our protocols to reflect their specific backgrounds and needs.

Using information gathered in conversation with these groups, we concluded that the SILC should:

  • Help ILCs collect richer data about the work that ILCs perform, especially around information and referral (I&R);
  • Help ILCs account better for differences as a function of geography;
  • Advocate that state and federal agencies better fund the ILC network;
  • Create a strategy for ILCs make themselves more welcoming to youth;
  • Work with a variety of state and federal agencies to craft a culturally sensitive outreach plan to Native populations so they can learn more about IL services and access those services more easily;
  • Work with state-based organizations that help veterans to raise awareness of ILCs among veterans of all ages and backgrounds in a culturally sensitive manner that will identify as many individuals as possible.

Finally, our qualitative analysis suggested that the SILC pursue at least one “field of advocacy” where it devotes its energies in more active, visible ways. While housing and transportation were also reported as significant needs, the overall capacity of the IL network in California was identified as the top priority for advocacy by the SILC.

Through surveys, in focus groups, and in interviews, members of the IL community in California first and foremost identified the need for adequate resources as the top priority to be able to serve consumers. By advocating for more funding, the IL network can build its overall capacity to address the unmet needs identified in this report. While additional funding for ILCs is the first priority, the IL community also identified two main barriers to leading a successful independent life: housing and transportation. While resources is the top priority for a “field of advocacy” for the SILC, attention to these barriers would also be important issues to focus on that affect many members of the IL community, regardless of age, gender, race and ethnicity, geography, or status as a veteran.

Without stable housing, it is nearly impossible for anyone – with or without a disability – to live a life of their choosing. We heard from ILC directors that they often spend many hours identifying essential services for individuals with serious mental illness, only to find that they cannot find housing for those individuals. In the focus group for youth, participants reported that they often go to ILCs to find housing, but are frustrated when they discover that the only options available to them are in settings with few (or no) other youth. Members of the IL community recognize that the shortage of adequate, affordable housing cannot be remedied overnight; they also recognize that the SILC’s powers in this area are limited. Nonetheless, respondents felt that the SILC’s housing-related efforts should be more forceful and more visible.

When ILCs successfully link individuals to services – as they often do – individuals cannot benefit from those services if they cannot get to the organizations that provide them. In many parts of the state – especially more rural areas – public transportation is often quite limited – if it exists at all. There may be buses to take, but their routes may not include the places where members of the IL community most need to go. Even in urban areas with good public transportation systems, individuals with disabilities sometimes find it difficult to use those systems, because of overcrowding or general stigma. Again, members of the IL community understand that the SILC has no magic wand it can wave to make transportation-related problems disappear. But, as with housing, respondents felt that the SILC should play a more active, visible role in advocating for better transportation in the state, especially transportation that accommodates disabilities of all kinds.

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