Penny Hollander Feldman, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Mia Oberlink, M.A., Research Associate
Elisabeth Simantov, Ph.D., Research Associate
Michal Gursen, M.P.H., M.S., Research Analyst

Background: America’s communities are facing increasingly difficult choices and decisions about how to grow, plan for change, and improve the quality of life for their elderly populations. This is particularly true for communities whose growing older population includes disabled adults who likely need accessible and supportive communities, services, and lifestyle options as they move through various stages of independence and dependence while growing older.

Will communities be ready to support them? How can the nation prepare for the growing older population and the concomitant increase in the need for more livable communities for older people with disabilities? Are there existing examples of livable communities in America that are accessible to and supportive of adults across the age spectrum who have disabilities or are likely to develop disabilities? Where are these communities? What are their features? Are there common dimensions or indicators of livability across these communities? How do communities develop and sustain their livability features?

This project aims to identify the following:

1. The key elements of communities that promote the health, well being and independence of adults with disabilities, or those at risk of developing disabilities, across the age spectrum,
2. Communities that have incorporated one or more of these elements into their physical, social and service systems and the strategies/interventions they have employed to do so,
3. The major challenges and barriers that communities face in moving toward greater livability for persons with disabilities, as well as factors that facilitate positive change, and
4. Promising policy levers and policy changes that if adopted would facilitate communities’ capacity to enhance their livability for their disabled residents.

CHCPR will conduct research in this area and produce a final report containing a status report on livable community initiatives, strategies, and policies and recommendations for long-term government planning and funding. The sponsor and the Federal Government can use the results of this analysis for a variety of purposes at their discretion.

Policy Brief: Livable communities for adults with disabilities.

Sponsor: National Council on Disability