title: Supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate in their communities through support staff pilot intervention.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increasingly, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are supported to participate in least-restricted settings in the community. However, little is known about desired community participation choice and control of people with I/DD, nor effective strategies to support full participation. Furthermore, service providers of this population in community and residential settings have unique roles in influencing choice and control in community participation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this project is to empower adults with I/DD in community participation by collaborating with agency staff and administrators to strategize change in service provision and programming.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article describes the development, imple-mentation and mixed-methods evaluation of a pilot staff intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings indicate staff who participated in pilot intervention report increased confidence in supporting adults with I/DD to participate in their communities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intervention development has implications for staff, administrators and agencies in planning and executing opportunities to support choice and control for community participation for adults with I/DD.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Therapy Program, School of Health Sciences, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea Gossett
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Zakrajsek
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hammel
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Scazzero
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers; D002658:Developmental Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D010865:Pilot Projects; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012919:Social Behavior; D058992:Social Participation
keywords: community participation; intellectual and developmental disabilities; pilot intervention; support staff