The Self-Determination for People with Developmental Disabilities Program was a national program that began in 1996 to help 18 states implement a more cost-effective system for serving persons with developmental disabilities while simultaneously giving those persons and their families more choice in determining the services they receive.

In the mid-1990s, state programs serving individuals with developmental disabilities faced three serious problems, according to the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H.:

• Rapidly rising costs for services.
• Insufficient resources to serve everyone who needed help.
• Fixed sets of services that gave individuals and their families little control over what services were provided, when or how.

Key Results
RWJF retained the Center for Outcome Analysis, Havertown, Pa., to evaluate the effect of the program on individuals, and the Human Services Research Institute, Cambridge, Mass., to examine institutional changes in the project states.

• The Center for Outcome Analysis reported a shift in decision-making from professionals to individuals with disabilities, and improvement in some but not all quality-of-life indicators.
• The Human Services Research Institute found that flexibility, a systemwide approach and the availability of direct support workers were critical factors in the success of self-determination initiatives.

See Project List for reports on projects.

Administration
The national program office at the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability managed the project selection process and provided technical assistance to the federal and state policy-makers.

A national advisory committee reviewed proposals, participated in site visits, made funding recommendations and monitored the ongoing operation of the program.

Funding
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Board of Trustees authorized the program in November 1995 for up to $5 million.