Each year, the TASH Conference strengthens the disability field by connecting attendees to innovative information and resources, facilitating connections between stakeholders within the disability movement, and helping attendees reignite their passion for an inclusive world. This year’s conference theme, “Gateway to Equity,” explores inclusive communities, schools, and workplaces that support people with disabilities, including those with complex support needs, in living a fair, just, and balanced life. Return to TASH website.
Who provides informal (or unpaid) supports to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)? Participants included 657 adult siblings of individuals with disabilities who responded to a national survey about informal supports in the areas of recreation, employment, and housing. Results indicated that most individuals with IDD received informal supports, with parents and sibling respondents most often providing those supports. Support was most commonly received in recreation, as opposed to housing or employment. Asked about non-family informal supporters, respondents often listed paid staff and disability organizations. Correlates of total numbers of informal supporters included the individual with disabilityŸ??s level of functioning (which correlated differently based on the domain) and with parentsŸ?? ability to care for their offspring with disabilities (parents who were older, less healthy, and less able to care for their offspring had offspring who had fewer informal supporters). This study aligns with the TASH conference theme, Ÿ??Gateway to Equity.Ÿ? The study explores informal supports that individuals with disabilities use to access employment, housing, and leisure activities. These supports allow individuals with disabilities to be included within the community and promote a balanced life. Following the session, participants will be able to: a) Distinguish between informal (or natural) supports and formal supports; b) Discuss why informal supports are essential to individuals with disabilities; c) Summarize who is providing the majority of informal supports to adults with disabilities in the areas of recreation, employment, and housing; and, d) Discuss the presence and implications of correlates of informal supporters in the life areas of recreation, employment, and housing.
