Family

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Family Professional Networks in Disability
Policy A Qualitative Inquiry
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Primary Topic of Interest
Exploring the role, capacity and influencing
factors involved with family professional
organizations networks in implementing policies
in family outcomes.
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Why is this Topic Important?
There is substantial anecdotal evidence regarding
the roles of family professional organizations
in influencing outcomes and advocacy in policy
implementation however, there is almost no
published research to date.
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What is a Network?
Policy networks include people and organizations
who have similar interests, experience and vision
in an area of policy they are connected either
directly or indirectly with each other in the
development and implementation of policy.
(Mintrom Vergari, 1998)
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Networks include
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Questions considered in this Project
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Participating Family Professional Organizations
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Participating Family Professional Organizations
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Participants
Executive staff and officers of family and
professional organizations at the national and
state level. For the purposes of this
presentation, the results discussed are limited
to interviews conducted with executive staff
at the national offices in Washington, D.C.
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Interview procedures
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Data Analysis
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Family Outcomes
Activities
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What Activities (outside of a Network) affect
Policy Development?
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Implementation of policies
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What Activities (inside an Organizations) affect
Priorities of Policies?
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Future activities
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How does an Issue become a Priority within a
Network Organization?
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How does an Issue become a Priority within a
Network Organization? (Cont)
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Family Outcomes
Influencing Factors
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What influences Network activities?

• Lack of consensus and trust between professionals
  and families

• Increasing talk about choice

• How to identify outcomes and assign
  accountability in this service system?

• Pressure from the OMB on measurability

• Inflexibility of system

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What influences Organization activities?

• The relationship between NCLB and SPED is unclear
• Cultural differences in families make defining
  and measuring family outcomes difficult
• More parent education is needed to help parents
  know what to expect
• Parent advocacy at the state level
• Organizations focus on parent involvement instead
  of family outcomes
• Lack of awareness about family issues in OMB and
  other leadership
• Talk about family support and choice, but little
  funding

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What might impair future activities in promoting
family outcomes?

• Focus on child, not family, even in family
  centered services
• Family outcomes are less of a priority
• Not teaching family-centered at the pre-service
  level
• Lack of agreement on family outcomes
• Families not getting enough information to make
  decisions

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Thank you for listening to and participating in
this presentation.
Feedback is welcome and appreciated.