Self-Direction

Valerie J. Bradley is President Emerita at the Human Services Research Institute. She is the author of several books, including (coauthored with Robert L Schalock and James F. Gardner) Quality of Life: Applications for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Marc H. Fenton is former partner at Public Consulting Group, Inc. and Founding President of Public Partnerships, LLC, the country's largest fiscal intermediary for people using self-directed budgets. Kevin J. Mahoney is Professor Emeritus at Boston College School of Social Work and Founding Director of the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services. His previous books include (coedited with Ellen K. Mahoney and Michelle Putnam) Self-Direction in Long Term Services and Supports: The Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation Ten Years On.

• List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsPreface1. Self-direction: What It Is and How It Works2. The History and Policy Antecedents of Self-direction3. The Federal Role: Less Visible, Just as Important4. The Status of Self-direction across the Country5. Setting Individualized Budgets to Support Self-direction6. The Impact of Self-direction: Results for Participants7. The Impact of Self-direction: Financial Results8. Factors That Can Influence the Growth of Self-direction9. The Expansion of Self-direction to Other Participants10. International Examples of Self-direction in Human Services11. Reflections and RecommendationsPostscriptNotesReferencesIndex

"…an accessible and thorough history and overview of self-directed supports programs. The authors share their aggregate wisdom and experience with a friendly style that walks the reader through the many programs, policies, experiments, and studies that tell the story of how self-direction has become mainstream. They provide an excellent articulation of the underlying philosophy, the history of implementation in state and federal programs, and most importantly, a summary of the benefits of self-direction in terms of public spending and participant outcomes." — Journal of Aging & Social Policy"…a comprehensive resource for those who would benefit from understanding the promise of self-direction … I recommend this book to anyone interested in teaching the next generation of health professionals and leaders about the best ways to address the needs of the growing population of people with disability. Those who are interested in influencing, making, or implementing long-term care policies and all who are pursuing research or evaluations about long-term care also will find this a valuable resource." — Richard M. Allman, The Gerontologist