AVAILABILITY AND USE OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES BY SMALL COMMUNITY GROUP HOMES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED IN NEW YORK CITY

Developmentally disabled persons are entitled by law and judicial mandate to live in a local community setting. The availability and provision of educational, social, recreational, vocational, health, transportation, and residential resources from within the community are required in order to achieve and maintain a normalized life style within the community.;The subjects were 155 centers (community residential facilities each serving 15 or fewer persons) throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The Utilization of Community Resources schedule is an interview schedule that was constructed for this study and administered to the participating residence managers during on-site interviews.;The findings of this study provide a profile of small group homes in New York City and their residents with regard to the utilization of community resources. Results indicated that most resources were needed and available for use within the community, although there emerged some specific patterns of activity need and availability. The community was reported as the primary source for the majority of resources, although some differences were found between State and voluntary run centers. The frequency of use of resources was found to vary based on the percentage of residents in a center who were severely and profoundly retarded, non-ambulatory, sensorily impaired, and over 21 years of age. In general, residence managers were generally satisfied with the neighborhood resources available to them.;The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which developmentally disabled residents of small group homes in New York City utilized available community resources. Community resources were defined as facilities available in a reasonably accessible location that provide a portion of the daily living needs of the individual. The research questions examined were: what resources were available; where were resources obtained; how frequently were resources used; and how satisfied were the residence managers with available resources.