People with disabilities in Franklin County, North Carolina : an action-oriented community diagnosis : findings and next steps of action
Creators: name: Wang, Hsuan-Ju
name: Munson, Bobbie Jo
name: Diggs, Pamela
name: Succop, Stacey
name: Morgan, Ryan
name: Sachdeva, Nidhi
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2006

description: The following document is a detailed report of an Action-Oriented Community Diagnosis (AOCD) completed by a six-member student team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. This AOCD was conducted in order to gain an understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and health experiences of people living with disabilities and their families in Franklin County, North Carolina. Through the AOCD process, the team and community participants identified resources, strengths and challenges that exist in Franklin County for people living with disabilities and their families, and developed action steps to address several of the challenges. Over the course of seven months from October 2005 to April 2006, with the help of two community liaisons (one long-time Franklin County resident and one service provider with extensive experience working with people with disabilities), the team worked to learn more about the community. Through researching secondary data, attending community events, and conducting 36 in-depth interviews with 46 community members and service providers and one focus group with ten additional community members, team members gained valuable insight into everyday life in this community. The team developed a coding system to analyze the data collected and to identify recurring themes related to living with disabilities in Franklin County. In April 2006, the team organized a community forum in Louisburg, the county seat, to present findings from the AOCD process to over 60 community members and service providers. At the forum, participants had the opportunity to discuss major themes that emerged from the team’s data analysis, and to work together in small groups to create specific action steps to address those themes. The themes discussed at the forum were as follows: Theme 1: The lack of transportation options in Franklin County limits quality of life (access to services, employment, and recreation) for people living with disabilities, thus there is a crucial need for expanded transportation options to serve the county. Theme 2: The lack of a centralized system for informing residents about social and human services in Franklin County contributes to a lack of knowledge of existing services, frustration with navigating those services, and furthers a feeling of isolation among residents. Theme 3: There is a lack of adequate, affordable home care options to facilitate independent living among residents with disabilities in Franklin County. Theme 4: There is a crucial need for a centrally located facility where residents can gather for social and recreational interaction to promote a better quality of life among Franklin County residents. Theme 5: Lack of awareness about disabilities among the general public limits accessibility (i.e. safe pedestrian travel, ADA compliance, etc.) and employment opportunities for people living with disabilities in Franklin County. The following are the action steps that were developed at the community forum: Theme 1: Transportation. Establish preliminary coordination with the Regional Transit Provision Committee. Contact churches to encourage involvement in a program to provide more transportation options to Franklin County residents through the use of church vans. Educate churches on the issue of transportation through face-to-face discussion. Theme 2: Centralized Resource System. Write petition to Franklin Times requesting more Community Guides be available to the whole county. Increase dissemination of The Franklin County Community Guide to the general public through mailings (utility bills), newspaper, schools, churches, KARTS, presentations by service providers to civic clubs, community activities, the internet, and other channels. Longer-term steps include: creating a centralized resource system that all community residents can access to obtain information about resources and services. (Group participants mentioned that a national phone-based information and referral system, Dial 2-1-1, may soon be available in Franklin County and could be an ideal route for residents to obtain information about services.) Theme 3: Independent Living. Increase awareness about the need for more volunteers to distribute meals for the Meals on Wheels Program. Work with the Department of Social Services to generate a list of people who are isolated and in need of in-home services. The list will be provided to churches and youth organizations that have volunteer initiatives (e.g. Boy Scouts). Create partnerships between churches across the county and isolated residents in the same geographic areas so that church members can assist residents in their local area. Communicate with school superintendents about creating requirements for students to fulfill community service hours through helping the elderly and people with disabilities in their homes. Contact local Boy Scouts of America troops about building ramps and other mechanisms to facilitate independent living for people in isolated areas. Theme 4: Recreation. The Recreation Department Staff will seek training from service providers who work with people with disabilities to educate them about disabilities and how to accommodate people with disabilities in recreational and entertainment opportunities. The Recreation Department will conduct a countywide survey to determine the recreational needs and desires of Franklin County residents. Participants from this group will initiate a community group representing people with disabilities to work with the Recreation Department as it begins to incorporate accommodations for people with disabilities into new and existing programs. Theme 5: Awareness. Push for and provide awareness articles in local newspapers and newsletters. Provide information to churches through the Interfaith Council on how to reach out to and support people with disabilities and make their congregations more accessible. Educate: a) seniors, through the Senior Centers, who often have disabilities but are unaware of available resources and their rights; and b) children in schools since they are pivotal in changing the culture surrounding disabilities. Encourage individuals to speak up for disability issues, for example, report abuse of parking spaces for people with disabilities or advocate for accessibility. Create an accessibility “certification” system for local businesses which will encourage owners to make accommodations so they can be labeled “disability friendly” to attract more clients and increase potential for profit. Following the forum, the team completed this final report with recommendations for the community based on their experiences throughout the process and the outcomes from the community forum. The final recommendations are summarized below: In addition to working with local churches and volunteer organizations to create added transportation opportunities as outlined in the action steps from the forum, the team recommends that Franklin County officials, representatives, community members, and service providers work to lobby at the state and federal level for increased funding for wide-spread, accessible public transportation throughout the region. The team recommends that the Franklin County community advocate for increased use and circulation of the Franklin County Community Guide so that residents will be better informed of available resources and contacts. The guide may be distributed through the Franklin County Times and/or at public locations throughout the county. Further, Franklin County officials, representatives, community members, and service providers may lobby at the federal level to bring the Dial 2-1-1 human services help-line to Franklin County. The team recommends that service providers and community organizations work more closely with the Department of Social Services to identify isolated individuals and/or families within the county who are living with disabilities. In addition, the team recommends that organizations and service providers who work with people with disabilities collaborate more closely with county schools and churches to encourage stronger volunteer programs to assist those in need of home care services. As outlined in the action steps that resulted from the forum, the team recommends that the Department of Parks and Recreation work to distribute a countywide survey to determine the recreation and entertainment needs and interests of all community members, including those with disabilities. Additionally, it would be beneficial to the community as a whole for the Parks and Recreation Department to pursue additional funding that may go towards the development of a centrally located, accessible community recreation/entertainment center. In addition to promoting awareness about living with disabilities on an individual and organizational basis, the team suggests that county officials, representatives, community members, and service providers should commence a close working relationship with the Alliance of Disability Advocates office and Executive Director Dr. Rene Cummins to increase general disabilities awareness and compliance with ADA regulations throughout the county. The team hopes that this report, the action steps, community member and service provider connections, and strong sense of initiative for change that emerged from this project and the community forum will continue to build on the strengths of this community. Ultimately, the team also hopes that the entire AOCD process and this final report contribute to future improvements not only for people living with disabilities, but also for all residents of Franklin County.