Community of Practice: Focusing on Life Span Supports for Self-Advocates and Their Families

Abstract

The “Community of Practice: Focusing on Life Span Supports for Self-Advocates and Their Families” project will establish a multilevel community of practice to develop a model framework for supporting families that builds on the 2011 Wingspread Family Support Summit outcomes and provides the foundation for work in five states to enhance family-related services and policies.

This community of practice will be facilitated by a project management team from the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, University of Missouri-Kansas City Institute for Human Development, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and Human Resource Services Institute. A national partnership council will lead the project and will include representatives from Parent-to-Parent USA, Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered, Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, Sibling Leadership Network, and the Association of University Centers on Disability. In each of the five states, the community of practice will:

• Facilitate a comprehensive assessment of policy and practice to inform the development of state-level work plans for improving them
• Identify existing expertise and common needs across states to promote mutual learning and collaboration
• Help each state to develop a sustainability plan for continuation of communities of practice both across and within states. A community of practice at the national level will also be established that will allow interested stakeholders to participate in ongoing dialogue throughout the project.

The training and technical assistance activities for this project will be conducted in partnership with Developmental Disabilities Networks (State Councils on Developmental Disabilities, State Protection and Advocacy Systems, and University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities), consortia members, and relevant state agencies.

Grantee

National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services
113 Oronoco St.
Alexandria, VA 22314

Grant Number

90DN0298

Project Duration

9/30/2012 – 9/29/2017

Project Amount

$240,000 per year

Contact

Nancy Thaler, Principal Investigator
Phone: (703) 683-4202
Fax: (703) 684-1395
E-mail: NThaler@nasddds.org

AIDD Project Officer

Larissa Crossen
Phone: (202) 690-5999
E-mail: Larissa.Crossen@acl.hhs.gov