HALTS Publications

A Significant Alliance: The Independent Living Movement, The Service Employees International Union and the Establishment of the First Public Authorities in California

Public Authorities are the product of a joint battle waged and won by both the Independent Living Movement and the Service Employees International Union. Public Authorities have been under threat of loss of funding in California. In order to fully understand the significance of potentially losing Public Authorities, it's important to understand the depth of the victory that the Public Authorities represent. This publication covers the history behind the establishment of this significant institution

Access to Medical Care: Adults with Physical Disabilities

The twenty-minute video/DVD and training curriculum for physicians, dentists, nurses, and other medical staff covers issues that affect the quality of care for patients with disabilities in outpatient clinical settings. Interviews with expert medical providers and a diverse group of people with disabilities address cultural competence; access and communication issues in the clinic; common myths and stereotypes about disability that interfere with accurate assessment of patients; and barriers to health care delivery.

A Provider's Handbook on Culturally Competent Care: Individuals with Disabilities

"Culturally competent care" refers to the delivery of health care services in a manner that acknowledges and understands cultural diversity in the clinical setting, respects members' health beliefs and practices, and values cross-cultural communication. The handbook presents health care research, practical information and tools that can help providers become more aware and knowledgeable about the health care needs of people with disabilities.

Vida Independiente: nuevos modelos organizativos (Independent Living: new organizational models)

This book is a contribution to the current social debate on the development of the "Independent Living Movement." It also includes guidelines for setting up Independent Living Centers. Spanish language. Este libro es una contribución al debate social actual sobre el desarrollo del "Movemiento de la Vida Independiente." También incluye pautas para el establecimiento de Centros de Vida Independiente. En español.

Accessible Housing Database and Manual

The goal of the Accessible Housing Database package is to provide a tool with which Independent Living Centers can track accessible rental housing in their community, and from which officials and advocates can draw data in order to assess affordability and availability of accessible housing.

RRTC-ILDP Issue Brief: Taking on Rural Transportation

How can it be that decades after the advent of the independent living and disability rights movements, transportation remains the number one issue for people with disabilities living in rural areas? We live in an era when society is finally trying to open all doors to all people, with every kind of impairment or limitation. Yet, most people with disabilities who live in Rural America continue to be isolated, frustrated, and cut off from any possibility of going to work or school, visiting family or friends, participating in community life, or tending to their health needs, all because of the lack of adequate transportation.

RRTC-ILDP Issue Brief: Applying Independent Living Principles to State Health Care Programs for People with Disabilities

To help clarify principles which could and should guide our health care, this Issue Brief looks at how state health care programs targeted at people with disabilities achieve independent living objectives. As numerous states develop managed care programs targeted at SSI and SSDI beneficiaries, it is important to focus attention on health care reform at the state level.

RRTC-ILDP Issue Brief: Collaboration Between Publicly-Funded Rehabilitation Programs and Community-Based Independent Living Centers

In recent years, several publicly-funded vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies and consumer-controlled, community-based, independent living centers (ILCs) have undertaken collaborations focused on im-proving employment outcomes for people with disabilities (Thayer & Rice, 1990; Means & Bolton, 1992; 1994). However, program and practice char-acteristics that enable such collaborations to succeed are not well understood (Hanson & Temkin, 1997).

Mujer y Discapacidad (Report on Violence and Disabled Women)

This report is a general view of the often overlooked problem of violence that affects an important number of disabled women. Spanish language.

PAS Systems Change: A Workbook for Improving PAS in Your State

This manual will allow the reader to assess the current PAS system in their state and envision an ideal system, develop strategies to redesign their current system, create a viable plan of action to implement a comprehensive statewide PAS program.

PAS Fundamentals

PAS Fundamentals offers a comprehensive overview of PAS. This manual allows the reader to explore different PAS models, examine the diversity of PAS delivery and funding, learn about national PAS legislation and supreme court decisions and their impact at the state level.

Autonomy or Abandonment: Changing Perspectives on Delegation

"Delegation" allows an unlicensed homecare provider to perform specific tasks currently performed by licensed health care providers, such as nurses. Published by The National Council on Aging, Inc., this report offers highlights of a symposium which explored issues of delegation in home- and community-based settings with a variety of key stakeholders-nurses, state level policymakers, providers and consumers. It also reports the findings of a state survey on delegation, gives an overview of the legal and regulatory issues, and of the factors influencing our approach to delegation in the country today.

Personal Assistance Services Management, Annotated Resource List

This concise, annotated list offers resources on how people with disabilities can find, hire and manage their personal assistance services (PAS).

Liability Issues Affecting Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services: Report and Recommendations

This manual offers an understandable explanation of liability law as it relates to Personal Assistance Services and suggests practical strategies for meeting legal requirements without sacrificing the needs of people with disabilities. Contents include employment tax, benefits, personal injury (tort law and risk apportionment), and licensure/ certification (nurse practice acts).

Personal Assistance Services (PAS): People with Disabilities Forging Public Policy (Video)

This video, filmed during an international symposium on PAS held in Oakland, CA in the fall of 1991, offers an excellent introduction to PAS. It addresses PAS as an Independent Living and Civil Rights issue. Perspectives from a diverse array of disability advocates from both the U.S. and Europe are represented.

The Cost of Program Models Providing Personal Assistance Services (PAS) for Independent Living

This report analyzes six program models in terms of cost and degree of support for Independent Living using data from WlD's 1989 program survey of all publicly-funded PAS programs in the United States. Both Independent provider and agency models are examined and compared.

Personal Assistance Services in Europe and North America: Report of an International Symposium

This report is a collection of essays by PAS users from North America and Western Europe, describing service models in the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Germany, with an eye toward system reform. It provides an overview of common issues faced by consumers and advocates as they strive to develop user responsive policies.

Personal Perspectives on Personal Assistance Services

This collection of personal essays explores a wide range of perspectives on personal assistance services. Family issues and PAS concerns for people with different disabilities, of different ages, and as members of minority groups are addressed.

Personal Assistant Programs in Germany, Sweden and the USA: Differences and Similarities

This thesis, funded by "Stiftung zur Förderung körper-behinderter Hochbegabter" of Lichtenstein and the IDEAS for a New Millennium Project, describes and compares personal assistance services in three different countries.

Policy Issues Affecting the Medicaid Personal Care Services Optional Benefit: Full Report

POLICY ISSUES AFFECTING THE MEDICAID PERSONAL CARE SERVICES OPTIONAL BENEFIT: FULL REPORT

Resolution on Personal Assistance Services

This Resolution was passed by the participants of the International Personal Assistance Services Symposium, sponsored by WID in 1991, and outlines the crucial elements of a national PAS policy.

Ethical Issues in Disability and Rehabilitation: A Report on an International Conference

This monograph is the result of an international conference on disability and ethics, sponsored by WID in collaboration with the World Rehabilitation Fund and Rehabilitation International. Key issues are examined by an international forum of concerned persons from the medical, rehabilitation, and disability communities. An extensive annotated international bibliography is also included.

Executive Summary of Attending to America

This summary succinctly presents the findings, analyses and recommendations of WID's research project (below) on attendant services.

Attending to America: Personal Assistance for Independent Living: A Report of the National Survey of Attendant Services Programs in the United States

This unique 1987 report explores the then current publicly provided personal assistance system in the U.S. It contains policy recommendations and action steps, a definition of terms, a directory of attendant service programs in the U.S. and a bibliography.