Indicators of impact of services on persons with developmental disabilities: issues concerning data-collection...

Public Law 100-146 requires the Administration on Developmental Disabilities to report to the Congress in 1990 on the status of services to persons with developmental disabilities. Considerable effort has been devoted by the National Association of Developmental Disabilities Councils to providing a national methodology for characterizing state services and for surveying consumer satisfaction with these services; but these data alone will not be sufficient to adequately characterize all variables required by the 1990 report. Definitional, conceptual, and methodological issues related to measurement of scope and extent of services, documenting eligibility and accessibility, and estimating the effectiveness of services was reviewed. A framework was suggested for integrating data-collection with consumer satisfaction survey efforts already underway.