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What kinds of help do adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities use to meet their daily needs, and how can they and their caregivers be better supported? A College of Education faculty member has received a $600,000 federal grant to study those important questions. 

�°������ϲ����� Associate Professor Kelli Sanderson and Vanderbilt University Professor Meghan Burke were awarded the three-year grant by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research. It’s the federal government’s primary disability research organization. 

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The two researchers will seek to answer three questions:  

• How do adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) use a combination of formal supports -- such as vocational services for work -- and natural supports -- such as parents providing transportation – for daily living, health and employment? 

• How do grassroots disability organizations help adults with IDD and their families leverage these supports? 

• Who among adults with IDD and/or their caregivers have good access to support? For example, where do they live? What is their income? What is their functional ability? 

Sanderson said her goal is to shine a light on the experiences of individuals with disabilities and their families in the hopes of advancing policies and other efforts that will help them. 

“Individuals with disabilities face a lot of injustices, including access to needed supports and services,” Sanderson said. “Also, by and large, parents of individuals with IDD do so much for their children – everything from hands-on daily care to completing paperwork to coordinating supports and services.   

“It is important to highlight how much they do and what kinds of supports they need to be effective caregivers.” 

Sanderson and Burke plan to interview adults with disabilities, their families and organizations that support them in the Long Beach and Nashville areas. They also plan to conduct a national survey of family members of adults with IDD. 

They expect to produce at least three publications in peer-reviewed journals and make at least three presentations at national disability conferences.