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Lehigh Valley Disability Community:

Lehigh Valley Disability Community: . A Survey of Community Needs & Opportunities. A. Lanethea Mathews-Gardner. Project Director, LVRC Associate Professor, Political Science Muhlenberg College mathews@muhlenberg.edu 484-664-3737. The Lehigh Valley Research Consortium.

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Lehigh Valley Disability Community:

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  1. Lehigh Valley Disability Community: A Survey of Community Needs & Opportunities

  2. A. Lanethea Mathews-Gardner Project Director, LVRC Associate Professor, Political Science Muhlenberg College mathews@muhlenberg.edu 484-664-3737

  3. The Lehigh Valley Research Consortium Dr. Michele Moser Deegan, Director, LVRC Associate Professor, Political Science, Muhlenberg College deegan@muhlenberg.edu www.lehighvalleyresearch.org

  4. LVRC Research Team Stefanie Sinno, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Muhlenberg College Sue McGorry, Associate Professor, Business, DeSales University MaryEllen Miller, Assistant Professor, Nursing, DeSales University

  5. What we set out to do: • Three Primary Questions: • What are the greatest unmet needs to living fully and freely in the Lehigh Valley for people with disabilities today? • What are the greatest concerns among community organizations and leaders who serve, work with, and advocate for persons with disabilities and their caregivers? • What are the well-established best practices that may be used as potential solutions to address the unmet needs of persons with disabilities living in the Lehigh Valley?

  6. How we did it: • Survey of persons with disabilities and their caregivers in Lehigh & Northampton Counties • Approximately 2500 distributed • 3 focus groups of individuals with disabilities and caregivers • Survey of organizations and agencies serving individuals with disabilities: “Key Informants” • Approximately 255 distributed

  7. Who we heard from: • 586 individuals returned surveys • Approximately 23.3% return rate • 70% people with disabilities • 30% caregivers of people with disabilities (N = 192) • 70 Key Informant organizations & agencies serving people with disabilities • Approximately 30% return • 22 focus group participants

  8. Closer look at Survey Participants (N=586) • Place of Residence • Lehigh County 65% • Northampton County 28% • Allentown 26% • Bethlehem 14% • Whitehall 4% • Macungie 3% • Easton 3% • Northampton 2%

  9. Closer look at Survey Participants (N=586) • 60% female • 40% male • 90% white (non-Hispanic) • 4% Latino/Hispanic • 3.1% Black/African American

  10. Closer look at Survey Participants (N=586): Income

  11. Closer look at Survey Participants (N=586): Disability Type

  12. Major Survey Cluster Areas • Information & Referral • Health & Health Care • Employment • Transportation • Housing • Perceptions & Attitudes • Opportunities & Discrimination • Education • Community & Political Participation • Technology & Assistive Devices • Caregivers & Parents • “Key Informants”: Agencies & Organizations Serving People with Disabilities

  13. Key Findings: Income is a Significant Barrier Income is a significant barrier to accessibility and inclusivity for people with disabilities. This is especially true for people with physical/mobility, mental, and communication-related disabilities.

  14. “Know how to find out about disability benefits” & Respondent Family Income

  15. “Been Discriminated Against in the Workplace” & Respondent Family Income

  16. “Feel isolated from others” & Respondent Family Income

  17. Key Findings: Disability Severity is Linked to Needs Disability severity is linked to accessibility and inclusivity. As disability severity increases, self-reported health and satisfaction with a range of variables decline.

  18. “I have enough support in planning for the future” & Disability Severity

  19. “Most people would willingly accept a person with a disability as a close friend” & Disability Severity

  20. “Most people believe that a person with a disability is just as intelligent as the average person” & Disability Severity

  21. Disability Severity & Social Activity

  22. Disability Type Matters Across most cluster areas, individuals with physical/mobility disabilities report greater inclusiveness and more positive feelings about community involvement than do individuals with other types of disabilities. There are important exceptions in transportation, accessible parking, access to buildings, and access to technology and assistive devices.

  23. Disability Type Matters • Individuals with mental disabilities report higher levels of community disaffectedness and disengagement than do individuals with other kinds of disabilities. • Lower levels of access to information and referral • Greater worries about being prepared for future • More negative attitudes about community perceptions • Lower overall self-perceived well-being

  24. Disability Type Matters Individuals with visual disabilities report greater problems with transportation. Individuals with speech disabilities report lower levels of emergency preparedness and more negative community attitudes.

  25. “Know whether or not I am eligible for disability benefits” & Respondent Disability Type

  26. “I have enough information to make good housing choices” & Respondent Disability Type

  27. “Most people believe that a person with a disability is just as intelligent as the average person” & Respondent Disability Type

  28. Experiences being denied workplace accommodations

  29. Age Matters Young people with disabilities report more negative attitudes and lower levels of knowledge about information and referral.

  30. “Know how to find out about disability benefits” & Decade of Birth

  31. “Most people believe that a person with a disability is just as intelligent as the average person” & Decade of Birth

  32. Health Care Respondents’ Exercise • Satisfied with access to and quality of health care. • Less satisfied to affordability of prescriptions, access to affordable insurance, and knowledge about health services and resources. • Close to 40% of respondents say that they rarely or never exercise—a fact related to transportation, income, and community involvement.

  33. Employment • A majority (60%) of respondents are unable to work due to their disability. • Among those who do work, 85% say their workplace is accessible.

  34. Transportation • A majority do not report problems with transportation.

  35. Transportation But, among those who do use public transportation, more than 1/3 believe that it is difficult to use and that schedules are inconvenient. Income, age, and county of residence are significantly related to reported access and satisfaction with transportation.

  36. Housing

  37. Housing

  38. Education & Schools Individuals with cognitive/learning disabilities and physical/mobility disabilities report being well-served by their schools. Individuals with sensory disabilities report lower levels of satisfaction with the school community and resources.

  39. “Received less support from teachers” & Disability Type

  40. “The administration and teachers are knowledgeable about referral services or community programs for the disabled” & Disability Type

  41. Education & Schools • Income & overall health are factors affecting educational achievements • 55% of respondents from families with incomes of less than $15,000 thought they had received a lower grader because of their disability. • 58% of respondents who report excellent health are significantly more likely to agree that there are enough “counselors” for students with disabilities when compared to those who report fair health.

  42. Caregivers A majority of caregivers feel they are doing a good job of meeting needs of work and family. But, they also report having too little time for themselves and inadequate resources to better balance personal lives. In general, individuals providing care for a parent report more problems then those providing care for a spouse or child. Caregivers who provide transportation report greatest difficulties with personal emotional issues, fewer restful nights, and greater reluctance to ask for help.

  43. Caregivers’ “Major Problems”

  44. “Key Informants” Agencies in the Lehigh Valley feel well-known among their client populations. This is especially true for organizations serving individuals with physical/mobility and /or speech disabilities. Organizations serving Northampton County are more likely to report being well-known, well-connected, and well-educated internally about the problems facing the disability community. Many agencies are concerned about their client populations’ access to health insurance, transportation, and obstacles created by poverty and low income.

  45. Key Informants’ Own Needs & Challenges Funding Staffing Reimbursement Issues Budget Cuts Transportation

  46. In Sum: The Lehigh Valley is on its way as a disability friendly community that is accessible and inclusive of many individuals with disabilities. But, there are areas in which our community could take steps toward marked improvement.

  47. To read & learn more Visit the LVRC website: http://www.lehighvalleyresearch.org/disability_study

  48. QUESTIONS?

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