Policy, Program Evaluation, and Research in Disability: Community Support for All.

Policy, Program Evaluation, and Research in Disability: Community Support for All

Julie Ann Racino The Hawthorn Press Binghamton, NY 1999, 473 pages $69.95 hardcover, 39.95 soft cover

Julie Ann Racino, President of Community Policy Studies in Rome, New York, has over 20 years of experience working in the areas of social policy, management, research, and development of community resources. The four contributing authors - James Knoll, K. Charles Lakin, Simi Litvak, and Gary Smith - also have experience in the area of disability and policy studies with particular emphasis on developmental disability issues.

To provide context for the reader, Racino states the purpose and orientation of the book in her introductory statement, and these views are clearly demonstrated throughout the book. She informs readers that the book is designed to not only provide information regarding disability policy issues, but to illustrate how these policies directly effect the lives of persons with disabilities. She also illustrates the effect of communities on disability policy research and the effect that such research has on a population as a whole. Racino begins by examining the influence of the closing of the first state institution for persons with developmental disabilities in New Hampshire and then progresses in subsequent chapters to discuss how policies have influenced issues such as self-advocacy, community support agencies that provides services to persons with disabilities, personal assistance services, family services, and independent living. In examining each topic, Racino provides a detailed overview of the issue from several vantage points and then further expands on the topic by providing personal statements from individuals with disabilities and their families.

Racino focuses on qualitative research throughout the book and clearly wants to educate rehabilitation professionals about the role and value of qualitative research in the field, as well as how to utilize this form of research to examine the effects of disability law policies and programs on the quality of life for persons with disabilities. For example, in chapter 15 Racino educates the reader about qualitative research by showing how case studies can be an effective method for examining how disability policy issues effect multicultural concerns, empowerment issues for persons with disabilities, and levels of support. In addition to the qualitative focus, Racino also focuses primarily on individuals with severe developmental (e.g., persons with mental retardation and their families are emphasized) and psychological disabilities who are most likely to warrant and/or utilize community support services. For example, the first four chapters focus on the effects of the closure of the first state institution for persons with developmental disabilities on the individuals themselves, as well as the communities they entered after the closure. Although persons with developmental and psychological disabilities are the focus of the book, Racino does lend some minimal attention to examining disability policy issues for persons with physical and cognitive disabilities as well.

With the overall framework of the book in mind, there are several advantages to the book. The use of historical information on disability issues provides an excellent foundation for examining the effects of disability polices on individuals, their families, and their communities today. When examining disability policies, Racino provides a landscape for the reader whereby she not only provides personal statements of how the individuals themselves felt about the closure and their re-integration into the community, but gives community perspectives as well. Racino also attempts to examine the issues from a multicultural perspective. Although this focus is not consistently demonstrated throughout the book, it is mentioned in certain sections. The final advantage is that the book provides a wealth of information on several aspects of each topic mentioned. Therefore, the reader is able to examine each issue from several different vantage points. This provides the reader with a lens to examine how such policies directly affect persons with disabilities and their families.

In addition to the aforementioned advantages, there are also a few disadvantages. The book is a compilation of several separate research articles and presentations on different topics in the field of disability law and policy. As a result, some of the information presented in the chapters (especially the first four chapters) is repetitive in content and at times the information is too brief. Also, the information may not be generalizable to rehabilitation professionals who do not work with persons with developmental disabilities or severe psychiatric disabilities since these groups were the focus of the content of the book.

Overall, I found the book to be a well-written perspective of disability policy research for persons with developmental and psychiatric disabilities. I recommend the book for rehabilitation professionals who work in the areas of supported employment, transitional living, and vocational rehabilitation as it provides valuable information on how support and community services can aid persons with disabilities in their desire to achieve and maintain community integration. I also recommend the book for graduate students in rehabilitation counseling who are interested in learning more about persons with developmental disabilities and the role of independent living and natural support systems. The book may also be helpful as a supplemental textbook for graduate courses and seminars on disability law and job development and placement since it addresses how policy influences how individuals with disabilities and their families live and work in their communities. Finally, I think the book would be useful for rehabilitation professionals who may be interested in conducting qualitative research, as it is a valuable illustration of how such research can be applied to critical issues in the field of rehabilitation.

Jhan D. Doughty, M.Ed., CRC Doctoral Candidate and Instructor Department of Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology, and Rehabilitation Services The Pennsylvania State University