Serving People with Disabilities
The AFI Family Support 360 IDAs Initiative
AFI program grantees and their partner organizations are finding that some people with disabilities, and their families, are having trouble accessing and using Individual Development Account (IDA) services. Because they are disproportionately poor, people with disabilities account for a large share of the AFI target population, but they are significantly under-represented among IDA participants.
Lack of information about IDAs, questions about how they affect means-tested benefits, and challenges AFI grantees face in serving people with disabilities contribute to low participation rates. The AFI Family Support 360 IDAs Initiative was created to address these issues. This Initiative aims to:
- Increase the use of AFI IDAs and other asset building services by people with disabilities and their families;
- Develop new strategies for making AFI IDAs and other asset-building tools more accessible to people with disabilities;
- Ensure that all AFI grantees can access high quality training, technical assistance, and information on this important topic.
This Initiative is a collaboration between the Office of Community Services (OCS) and the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD). Initiative activities include training and technical assistance for all AFI grantees, their project partners, and the broader asset-building community on serving people with disabilities; sharing information and best practices; and developing articles highlighting strategies, issues and opportunities. These services are provided through the AFI Resource Center with assistance from The Lewin Group, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Mathematica Policy Research.
Helpful Resources
The Initiative provides written resources on a number of topics, including:
- What grantees need to know about disability;
- How IDAs affect disability benefits;
- Navigating disability services;
- Serving IDA participants with disabilities;
To access this information, click here.