1. Evaluation Issues in Programs that Promote Self-Determination Anita Yuskauskas, Ph.D.

2. SD Evaluation Issues How can we assess:  Power  Personal Worth  Equality  Liberty

3. More SD Evaluation Issues  SD based on principles – operationalization is individualized; systems become decentralized and more complex  Experimental - wide variety of approaches  Experience of SD varies by role  Knowledge about SD is limited: are we asking the right questions? Are we in agreement on projected outcomes? Are we in agreement on language?  More research is needed to guide policy and legislative decision making

4. WHY ARE THESE ISSUES?  Evaluation results can influence federal and state policies and practices around the use of government support dollars

5. SYSTEMS & COMMUNITY CHANGE EFFORTS John G. Ott & Associates, Santa Fe, NM  Results – Shared agreements about outcomes we can we expect from self-determination  Indicators – measurable data sources that assess whether we are achieving desired results  Strategies – Initiatives and programs we employ to achieve desired results  Performance Measures – measures we use to judge the effectiveness of implementing strategies

6. RESULTS FROM SELF- DETERMINATION Tom Nerney  Freedom to design a life plan  Authority to control a targeted amount of resources  Supports organized in an individualized way  Responsibility for the wise use of public dollars and to contribute to one’s community

7. SD RESULT: People Have the Freedom to Design a Life Plan Indicators Choice re Plan Content Choice re participants Strategies Propose legislation re PCP Conduct training in PCP Performance Measures Proposed legislation becomes law Increased satisfaction with PCPP

8. IN ORDER TO ASSESS ACHIEVEMENT OF OUTCOMES THERE MUST FIRST BE AGREEMENT ON OUTCOMES  “If there is no agreement on results, there will likely be arguments over dollars or who is more pious. John G. Ott

9. Self-Determination Requires a Multifaceted Approach to Evaluation Both Qualitative and Quantitative Methods Can Provide Understanding & Answers About Effectiveness

10. QUALITATIVE METHODS  Reality is socially constructed:  Mutual  Subjective/Perspective  Phenomenology  Constructivism  Symbolic Interactionism  Ethnomethodology

11. FROM CHANGING WORLD ORDER…TO METHODOLOGICAL CONSISTENCY Schwartz & Ogilvy FROM:  Objective  Hierarchy  Simple, Mechanistic TO:  Perspective  Heterarchy  Complex

12. QUALITATIVE METHODS  Provide an evaluation process that is consistent with the values of self- determination  Provide a means to define results  Completes the picture

13. WHO & WHAT WILL BE STUDIED QUALITATIVELY?  How people define & experience self- determination versus its effectiveness  How self-determination works versus if it works.  Understanding SD versus finding an outcome

14. DECENTRALIZED & INDIVIDUALIZED  Self-Determination is defined on an individual basis  Whether SD works is decided on an individual basis

15. MUTUALITY Contribution and Benefit are Understood to be Mutual and Beneficial

16. HOW WILL IT BE STUDIED?  Design, Data Collection, & Analysis Occur Simultaneously; Learning process is continuous, flexible, subject to change, responsive, interactive  Subject is empowered to define the topics of research that are pertinent, in a way that is consistent with their own belief system.  Methods include: observation, open –ended interviewing, participant observation, and document reviews

17. Validity and Reliability in Qualitative  Provide adequate detail about how the study was conducted, the people and their environments  Provide information about gaining access in the field and the rapport with subjects  Provide evidence of member checks, triangulation, and peer co-analysis

18. IT TAKES RIGOROUS WORK TO FIND MEANING AND TRUTH

19. CONCLUSIONS 1. Establish a research institute that will integrate qualitative & quantitative research results on self-determination 2. Utilize integrated and accurate info to feed future research, policies, and practices 3. Establish a research agenda; agree on outcomes 4. Focus research on showing how people are and are not realizing empowerment, personal worth, equality, liberty, etc. 5. Attempt to define the individual threshold point where support becomes restrictive

20. ACCURATE INFORMATION WILL LEAD US TO TRUE NORTH