Increasing access to community living: A national study of independent living skills and community activities

The purpose of this study was to identify critical independent living skills and community-based activities deemed to be important for adults with disabilities who live successfully in community residences in the United States, and evaluate their level of independence on each skill and frequency of participation in each activity. Participants included residential specialists from small community residences (i.e., 8 or less residents) in 26 states who had experience delivering residential services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A survey was mailed to 1000 residential specialists using a random proportional stratified sampling procedure; 280 completed surveys were used for data analysis. Skill areas addressed in the study included domestic, safety, community, and recreation/leisure. Grooming and hygiene, mealtime behaviors, and safety skills (e.g., medical related items, emergency response items) were the most frequently identified critical skills. Residential specialists indicated that individuals with severe disabilities require assistance on most or some steps of domestic and safety skills, and participate less than monthly in most community activities. Watching TV and shopping were the most frequently performed recreational activities at home and in the community. Type of residential setting, location of residential setting, and hours of in-home support affected residential specialists??? ratings of (a) critical domestic and safety skills, (b) critical community activities, (c) level of assistance needed with domestic and safety skills, and (d) frequency of participation in community activities. Behavioral issues were the primary reason for residents to lose their community residential placement