Barriers and Catalysts to Self-Directed Services and Supports for Adults with Disabilities: Results of the 2018 IDD Provider Survey on Self-Directed Supports and Services

In 2018, the National Leadership Consortium conducted a national survey of service providers to better understand how providers are supporting adults to lead self-directed lives and the barriers and catalysts to such supports. The survey was initiated by the Spark! Initiative, an Optum Group, which is comprised of representatives of more than 25 organizations focused on developing a variety of resources and strategies to address barriers and support a national shift towards self-directed services and supports. The I/DD Provider Survey on Self-Directed Services and Supports included questions about barriers and facilitators to self-direction, agency practices of self-direction, and individual values about self-direction.

The 475 respondents ranked barriers and facilitators to better understand what holds agencies back from or assists them in providing self-directed services. They were also asked to share agency practices and values around self-direction, to better understand how agencies operate to provide self-directed services and supports. Recommendations for state and federal policymakers, Managed Care Organizations, provider agencies, and people with I/DD and their families are presented.