Inclusive disaster planning, response and recovery considers people with disabilities and taps into their expertise every step of the way. In this issue of HCBS Quality Matters, we'll hear from global, national and local (Chicago/Illinois) leaders working to ensure people with disabilities are included and that they are part of the conversation when it comes to resilience after the disaster is over.



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Advocacy at home and abroad brings people with disabilities into the disaster planning conversation.

Disaster planners and people with disabilities agree that improved communication, specialized training of emergency responders, and easier access to resources can improve outcomes for people with disabilities during and after natural disasters. 

The RRTC on HCBS in the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes developed a set of talking points states and organizations could use in response to the CMS Access Rule.

Kish says that the ADA isn't enough to ensure people with disabilities can get where they need to go when they want to go.

A chance encounter as an instructor at a New Orleans swim school led to an interest in disability work.

We talk with Teresa Nguyen, Director of the Community Living Equity Center in the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and Natalie Chong, a doctoral student in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University about unmet needs in HCBS and why data is so important in identifying gaps in person-centered delivery of HCBS and knowing when goals are met.

We found some recently-published articles and reports related to our research and wanted to share them with you!

Dickman H. California’s In-Home Supportive Services Program: An Equity Analysis. Justice in Aging, 2023.

Goldman AS, Abbott KM, Huang L, Naylor MD, Hirschman KB. Changes in Tangible Social Support Over Time Among Older Adults Receiving Long-Term Services and Supports. Journal of Applied Gerontology. 2023 May;42(5):981-91.

Isvan N, Bonardi A, Hiersteiner D. Effects of person‐centered planning and practices on the health and well‐being of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: a multilevel analysis of linked administrative and survey data. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. Special Issue article, first published February 20, 2023.

Miller EA, Beauregard LK. Enhancing federal revenue under the American rescue plan act: An opportunity to bolster state Medicaid home and community-based services programs. Journal of Aging & Social Policy. 2023 May 4;35(3):287-301.

Tichá R, Pettingell SL, Lemanowicz J, Feinstein CS, Bershadsky J, Houseworth J, Zhang AQ. Using the Independent Monitoring for Quality Program to Examine Longitudinal Outcomes for People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. 2023 Jun 1;61(3):238-49.

The contents of this newsletter were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant 90RTGE0004). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS). The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL or DHSS.