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GUEST POST: Feeling Comfortable as an NCI Interviewer
Feb 25th, 2015 by | No Comments YetNCI is proud to announce another guest blog post for the NCI blog!
This post was prepared by Beth Aura Miller from CT DDS .
Beth Aura Miller has been a Self Determination Director for the State of Connecticut, Department of Developmental Services for fourteen years. In this position Beth Aura has supported the CT DDS in promoting the Self Determination movement through policy change, statewide initiatives to promote self-direction and self-advocacy for all individuals with developmental disabilities. She works with J CT DDS Self Advocate Coordinators to assist people in having a voice in CT.
Connecticut employs several self-advocates as NCI surveyors. This blog post can serve as a guide for anyone (self-advocates included) who conducts NCI surveys.
If you're interested in engaging self-advocates in the NCI process in your state, please contact Dorothy at NCI, (dhiersteiner@hsri.org). She can put you in touch with our contacts in several states who can tell you how they've been able to include self-advocates in the NCI process.
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Feeling Comfortable as an NCI Interviewer
You have just been invited to be an interviewer for the NCI survey. Your first question might be, why me? Your second thought might be, great I get to meet someone new!
Being an interviewer for the NCI Survey can be a fabulous experience. You have the opportunity to meet amazing people that have wonderful stories to share. You have a chance to find out how they view their supports and services. You get to hear their voice and find out what they think!
Setting up the NCI meeting may seem like a big task but really it is just making that first phone call.
- Be prepared that not everyone will have a way to communicate on the phone. Family or a support person may be the one on the other end of the phone letting you know that the person you want to speak to is non-verbal
- Be Positive and reassuring to the person the importance of promoting everyone’s voice
- Ask about their form of communication. How do they know what they like or dislike?
- Provide information about the survey - The First section of the survey is the individual’s response only. BUT you are willing to use any form of communication the person is comfortable using. Communication Board, Pictures, IPAD, Speech Talkers, etc.
- The second section of the survey can be done with their support person
- If the person on the phone is a support or family member, encourage them to be part of the second part of the survey and they are welcome to assist the individual to have a VOICE then. They are more than welcome to be present during the face-to-face NCI meeting.
- Ask the person where they feel most comfortable meeting. Sometimes they like to meet in their own home or they may enjoy meeting you at the local coffee shop – your treat!
- Once you have decided on a comfortable meeting place, make sure the time of day that you are meeting is best for the person. Everyone has busy schedules and as the interviewer we need to be accommodating.
Day of your NCI Meeting – Relax it is just a conversation!
- Introduce yourself and thank the person for meeting with you. Ask if the person has any questions for you before you begin.
- Take your time when you arrive to do your survey. Make sure you are both comfortable before you begin.
- If you are aware of any specific communication supports the person needs to answer the questions, make sure they are in place before you begin. You may want to bring pictures with you to assist in explaining the questions and assisting in getting their answers.
- Ask all the questions, but remind the person it is ok not to answer questions and that there are no right or wrong answers.
- Be neutral; do not lead the person or give your opinion; for instance, avoid asking “you can choose your daily schedule, right?” You should not look at or point to specific pictures or other forms of communication as not to influence the person’s response.
- If the person is non-verbal remember to:
- Talk to the person as you would anyone else.
- Use any form of accommodation allowing the person to feel safe and comfortable in talking with you.
- Provide alternative ways to ask and answer questions
Not everyone feels comfortable being an interviewer for the NCI Survey but once you realize what a wonderful experience it can be, relax, breathe and enjoy getting to know another person with a voice!
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Guest Blog: Calling All Voices – Survey is for EVERYONE
Jan 29th, 2015 by | No Comments YetNCI is proud to announce a guest blogger for the NCI blog!
This post was prepared by Beth Aura Miller and Jossie Torres from from CT DDS .
Beth Aura Miller has been a Self Determination Director for the State of Connecticut, Department of Developmental Services for fourteen years. In this position Beth Aura has supported the CT DDS in promoting the Self Determination movement through policy change, statewide initiatives to promote self-direction and self-advocacy for all individuals with developmental disabilities. She works with Jossie Torres and nine other CT DDS Self Advocate Coordinators to assist people in having a voice in CT.
Jossie Torres works for the CT Department of Developmental Services as a Self Advocate Coordinator – this is her 9th year! She is a mom of 3, two girls and one boy. She supports people in CT to Speak Up and Speak Out!
This blog post can serve as a guide for individuals who are asked to be surveyed for the NCI Adult Consumer Survey.
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Calling All Voices – Survey is for EVERYONE
We are very excited that the NCI 2014-15 Surveys are being done around the country and we want everyone to have a voice. Everyone should have the opportunity to be surveyed if THEY choose to be – even if they have difficulty communicating.
If you are invited to be surveyed, say YES! It is your chance to tell people in your state and across the country what you think of the supports and services you are receiving.
We know that sharing your thoughts, ideas, and opinions can be scary. Here are a few tips to make sure you are being heard and get your thoughts shared.
Once you agree to be interviewed for the NCI survey, tell the interviewer what makes you feel comfortable.
- Share what time and day works best for you
- Let them know where you feel best to have your meeting. Sometimes people like doing it in their home or meeting at the local coffee shop.
- Let the interviewer know if you need to see the questions in writing or in pictures. Not everyone reads so sometimes it is helpful if the interviewer brings pictures to help them explain the questions and help you give an answer you understand.
- Let the interviewer know if you want to have your family or friend with you when you are asked the questions. Remember the answers are to be YOUR answers NOT your family or friends. YOUR VOICE is what they want to hear!
- Let the interviewer know how you best share your thoughts or communicate with others prior to the actual interview
During your NCI Survey meeting:
- Take a deep breath and be yourself. They are asking what you think about your life.
- Be honest. Tell the interviewer what you know and think
- Don’t answer a question if you feel uncomfortable.
- If you don’t understand a question, ask them to ask it in a different way.
- Remember there are no right answers so just answer the questions the best way you can.
- If you need to take a break, let the interviewer know. You need to feel comfortable
The NCI Survey is just an opportunity for you to chat about your supports and services. Have fun and enjoy meeting a new person. Your voice makes a difference so Speak Up and Speak Out!
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December 10th is International Human Rights Day
Dec 9th, 2014 by | No Comments YetTomorrow, December 10, is International Human Rights Day. In honor of this special occasion, we looked at the NCI data on rights from the 2013-14 data collection cycle.
National Core Indicators provides a unique opportunity to look at public services from the perspective of service recipients. As such, NCI can be used to demonstrate how individuals with ID/DD feel about their services and their impression of how they’re treated and whether their rights are respected. State Developmental Disabilities systems can use these data in myriad ways to assess and track how policies, programs and processes may preserve or violate individuals’ rights and freedoms. In addition, with the advent of new Home and Community Based Services rules which emphasize minimizing restrictions and increasing independence and dignity through enhanced person-centered services and supports, states have an imperative to look at whether individuals receiving services perceive that their rights are being respected in the service system.
We are working on a data brief about rights and respect. In this blog post we highlight some of the findings from this data brief.
The information in this blog post is drawn from the 2013-14 National Core Indicators (NCI) administration of the Adult Consumer Survey (ACS) of 16,370 adults from 31 states and one sub-state entity. For the purpose of this Data Brief, only group differences that were significant at the p<.01 level are reported.
The Adult Consumer Survey includes questions that address indicators housed under the subdomain “Rights and Respect.” When examined in aggregate, these questions are designed to reveal how respondents feel about how their rights are valued and whether respondents feel they are treated with respect. The results of these questions will be examined below.
An examination of the sample reveals that 89% of respondents reported that people let them know before entering their home, and 84% reported that people let them know before entering their bedroom. Ninety-one percent reported that they have enough privacy at home, and 93% reported that their staff is nice and polite to them.
Question from ‘Rights and Respect’ domain.
Percentage of respondents
N
People let you know before entering your home
89%
10,866
People let you know before entering your bedroom
84%
10,573
You have enough privacy at home
91%
10,508
Your staff are nice to you
93%
10,134
Can be alone with visitors at home
77%
14,220
Reads own mail, or others read with permission
86%
13,620
Can use phone or internet whenever wants to
90%
12,600
Participated in self-advocacy meetings, or had opportunity to participate in but chose not to.
32%
12,535
The percentage of individuals who reported that their rights are respected varied significantly by guardianship status. Individuals under limited or full guardianship were significantly less likely than those independent of guardianship to report that people informed them when entering their home or bedroom, significantly less likely to report that they can be alone with visitors at home, significantly less likely to report that they read their own mail or others read it with permission and significantly less likely to report that they can use the phone or internet whenever they want.
Percentage of respondents under limited or full guardianship
Percentage of respondents independent of guardianship
People let you know before entering your home
88%
91%
People let you know before entering your bedroom
82%
85%
Can be alone with visitors at home
72%
81%
Reads own mail or others read with permission
85%
88%
Can use phone or internet whenever wants to
87%
92%
We also found that individuals who claim that certain rights are respected are significantly more likely to report that they made critical life and everyday choices. For example, as you can see from the table below, individuals who stated that they had enough privacy were significantly more likely than those who reported that they did not have enough privacy to state that they had had at least some input in choosing their home. Similarly, individuals who stated that they read their own mail, or others read mail with permission, were significantly more likely than those who reported that they did not did not read their own mail to state that they had had at least some input in choosing their day program.Of those respondents who
state that they …This percent had at least some input in:
Choosing home
Choosing day activity
Have Enough Privacy
Yes
64%
71%
No
50%
62%
Can be alone with visitors
Yes
67%
73%
No
54%
62%
Can use phone or internet whenever wants
Yes
66%
67%
No
53%
54%
Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming data brief highlighting data on rights and respect.