**Recognition of Excellence in Aging Research**

**Submission Form**

**I.  Department/Agency Information**

> 1)      Lead government department/agency conducting, sponsoring or
> administering the research:
>
>   National Council on Disability
>
> 2)      Mission of department/agency:

  The mission of the National Council on Disability is to promote the
full inclusion, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency of
people with disabilities of all ages and backgrounds by providing
advice, analysis, and recommendations on disability policy to the
President, Congress, and other federal agencies.

> 3)      Name, title, mailing address, email address and phone number
> of principal investigator(s)/lead researcher(s) for research project:

 Mia R. Oberlink M.A.

Senior Research Associate

Center for Home Care Policy and Research

107 East 70th Street\
New York, NY 10021 

> 4)     Name, title, mailing address, email address and phone number of
> a contact person at the lead government department/agency (if
> different than above):

Project Title: Creating Livable Communities

Publication Date: October 31, 2006
([HTML](http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2006/livable_communities.htm))
([PDF](http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2006/pdf/livable_communities.pdf))

Martin Gould, Ed. D.

Director of Research

National Council on Disability

1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850

Washington, DC  20004 -1138

Telephone (Voice): (202) 272-2004; (TTY): (202) 272-2074 

5)  Partner agencies or organizations that participated in the research
    project:

 Center for Home Care Policy and Research

AARP (Co-host for report release and panelists)

American Council of the Blind

National Association of the Deaf

Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities

Congressional Livable Communities Task Force

National Association of Area Agencies on Aging

NCB Development Corporation

Center for Home Care Policy and Research

Access Board

National Organization on Disability

United Cerebral Palsy

Social Security Advisory Board

  6)      Amount of funding (by source) for research project: \$175,000

  7)      Total agency research budget for aging research in fiscal year
2007:

 For FY2007, NCD budgeted \$310,000 to be used for programmatic research
projects. In accordance with the agency mission, the research efforts
were intended to impact all age groups. 

8)  Start and end date (if applicable) of research project: May 15, 2005
    to October 31, 2006

> **II.  Research Submission Components**

1)  Provide a general description of the research project (in 500 words
    or less) using terms reasonable for an educated lay audience.
    Include future plans if applicable.

> NCD's report presents significant challenges communities face to make
> livability a reality. Livable communities address consumers' needs for
> a coordinated, comprehensive, defragmented service delivery system.
> The system provides consumer choice. Creators of livable communities
> also implement policies and programs that help adults with
> disabilities remain independent and involved.
>
> To support livable community objectives, the NCD report presents six
> general policy levers or strategies concerning: (1) data collection,
> management, and access changes; (2) tax credits; (3) common
> performance measures across programs; (4) private sector funding
> match; (5) infrastructure and access changes; and (6) state-level
> waiver authority. Effective use of these strategies can occur at the
> federal and local level. The strategies offer government opportunity
> to change how it organizes and manages resources, interacts with the
> business community, and responds to consumers' evolving interests,
> needs, and preferences.
>
> Finally, NCD proposes a set of specific recommendations that could
> help the creation of livable communities. The recommendations include,
> but are not limited to a call for an Executive Order establishing a
> time-limited interagency federal workgroup promoting reform the
> strategies and a National Resource Center on Livable Communities to
> raise awareness about best practices.
>
> NCD and co-sponsor of the report release, AARP agree that the livable
> community concept is central to the goal of fostering independence,
> choice, and control for people with disabilities and seniors. Thus,
> there is significant overlap between the two organizations' agendas.
> The livable community concept has been a key focus of NCD's recent
> work and of AARP's Social Impact Agenda. Communities in the United
> States are facing increasingly difficult choices and decisions about
> how to grow, plan for change, and improve the quality of life for all
> citizens, including people with disabilities.
>
>  2) Supply a three-line summary of the research project using terms
> reasonable for an educated lay audience
>
> People with disabilities and seniors choose to live in communities
> with affordable accessible housing, healthcare, transportation,
> employment, education, civic and social options. Cross government
> coordination and enforcement are recommended.
>
> 3)      Respond to the following questions in a narrative about the
> research project (in 750 words or less) using terms reasonable for an
> educated lay audience:

  ***Excellence***:**                ** What makes this project
exceptional?

> Creating Livable Communities is a logical and clear outgrowth of the
> National Council on Disability\'s (NCD) interest and recent work in
> the topic of livable communities for people with disabilities. The
> main impetus for this interest is threefold: 1) the prospect of a
> growing population of people with disabilities as the baby boom
> generation ages, 2) the desire that people with disabilities-indeed,
> all people-have to live in their own homes and communities and
> maintain their self-determination, dignity, and independence for as
> long as possible, and 3) the pressures that these factors will exert
> on local communities that strive to become livable for people of all
> ages and abilities.
>
> ***Significance***:              How is this research relevant to
> older persons, populations and/or an aging society?
>
> This research report reflects the adoption of a life course
> perspective, by recognizing the universality and continuous nature of
> the aging process, which leads to initiatives such as 'livable
> communities.' Many of the characteristics required for 'livable
> communities', such as supporting home adaptation and universal design
> in home-building, developing accessible community public transport,
> and providing access to health and social services are of benefit to
> both people who are elderly and people with disabilities. This
> research promotes a firm recognition that aging and disability are
> common and integral experiences of people living within our local
> communities which can be addressed for the benefit of all.
>
> ***Effectiveness***:              What is the impact and/or
> application of this research to older persons?
>
> Disability prevalence is rising in the under-age-65 population and,
> although it has decreased slightly for people aged 65 and older, it
> will begin to rise sharply as the current senior population of 34
> million doubles over the next 20 years. In light of these demographic
> developments, communities will face significant challenges as they
> strive to address consumers' needs in a coordinated and comprehensive
> manner, reduce fragmentation in the service delivery system, provide
> consumer choice, and implement policies and programs that help adults
> with disabilities remain independent and involved in community life.
>
> A livable community recognizes and responds to the universality of
> needs of its residents regardless of age, economic status, race,
> gender, or abilities. In improving its livability for one particular
> group of constituents, the community considers opportunities to
> respond to all community members' needs from a perspective of
> accessibility, equality, and inclusion.
>
> ***Innovativeness***:           Why is this research exciting or
> newsworthy?
>
> This report identifies and highlights multiple strategies that may be
> applied to the design and support of livable community principles. The
> identified strategies have been initiated by federal and state
> government agencies as well as the private sector. These entities have
> recognized the power of collaboration and use of distinct tools to
> guide and stimulate systemic changes to make communities more livable
> for all. The highlighted strategies touch all facets of what livable
> communities do.
>
> The examples presented in the report offer an optimistic view of the
> possibilities to change the way government organizes and manages
> resources, interacts with the business community and community
> developers, and responds to the expectations of evolving consumer
> interests, needs, and preferences for more choice and control in the
> delivery of support services.

4)  List three key words that best describe this research project (do
    not use words such as aging, elderly, older, senior, etc.).

> Inclusive; supports; community-based
>
> 5)     Provide no more than one page of references of peer reviewed
> publications resulting from this research or other evidence-based
> documentation reporting on these research findings. 

      US  Newswire (October 31, 2006). National Council on Disability
Recommends Making Livable Communities Reality.
[[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-153597091.html]{.underline}](http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-153597091.html)

 

      DHS (November 2006). Disability Preparedness: Recently released
resources. NCD Report: *Creating Livable Communities*

     <http://www.disabilitypreparedness.gov/bulletins/nov_06.htm>

[ ]{.smallcaps}

>       The Council for Disability Rights (November 2006). National
> Council on Disability Recommends Making Livable Communities Reality.
> [[http://www.disabilityrights.org/1106.htm]{.underline}](http://www.disabilityrights.org/1106.htm)

-   New York Developmental Disabilities Planning Council e-bulletin
      (December 2006)

     
<http://www.ebulletin.us/archive/2006/december/december_2006_main.php>

[ ]{.smallcaps}

> [     ]{.smallcaps} HCBS Clearinghouse for the Community Living
> Exchange Collaborative (January 1, 2007). Creating Livable
> Communities. Type/tool: Promising Practices Report by National Council
> on Disability
> [[PDF]{.underline}](http://bl132w.blu132.mail.live.com/mail/PDF) 785K,
> 165 pages 
> ([[http://www.hcbs.org]{.underline}](http://www.hcbs.org/)) [[www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/doc/1772]{.underline}](http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/doc/1772)

[ ]{.smallcaps}

-   Aging and Disability Resource Center Technical Assistance
    Exchange[:]{.smallcaps} Report on Creating Livable Communities
    *(Added March 14, 2007)* *Source: National Council on Disabilities
    (NCD.)* [[www.ADRC-TAE.org]{.underline}](http://www.adrc-tae.org/)

 

      Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network (Accessed on June 4,
2008).
[[http://www.latan.org/newsPublications.shtml]{.underline}](http://www.latan.org/newsPublications.shtml)