ABOUT IIDC

Mission, Values Statements, and Guiding Principles

Mission

The mission of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community is to work with communities to welcome, value, and support the meaningful participation of people of all ages and abilities through research, education, and service.

“To work with communities”

The Institute collaborates with community agencies, schools, advocacy organizations, government, institutions of higher education, and other community partners to effect improvements in quality of life.

“to welcome, value, and support the meaningful participation for people of all ages and abilities”

This is the core of our mission. It defines outcomes for diverse individuals, including people with disabilities, in all life spaces: schools, employment, home, and community settings.

“through research, education, and service.”

Research means investigation and inquiry into ideas and practices in order to develop knowledge that will benefit people of all ages and abilities.

Education means teaching approaches, concepts, and new knowledge to students and community members in schools, institutions of higher education, and in community settings.

Service means putting research and new knowledge into practice in educational and community settings. Service means collaborations and partnerships to promote inclusive communities. Service means participation in local, state, national, international and higher education committees, councils, association activities, and governance.   

Value Statements

Undergirding the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community's mission statement are the values held by the faculty and staff who are employed at the Institute. The following values permeate all of the Institute's activities:

Those with disabilities... must have opportunities to become full, contributing members of their communities — at school, work, home, neighborhood, spiritual, and recreational settings.

It is essential that... persons with disabilities be active, well-informed decision makers about quality of life, services, and supports.

All community members must... be educated, enabling them to support the full and active community participation of those with disabilities.

Guiding Principles

In addition to the aforementioned values statements, Indiana Institute faculty and staff also hold to the following organizational values that define the manner in which we conduct our activities:

Life Span Focus

The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community commits to engage in activities that touch the entire life span, from birth through older adulthood.

Holistic Approach

The Institute's faculty and staff recognize the inter-relatedness of life areas, knowing that it is ineffective to support only one aspect of an individual's life (e.g., schooling or work) without considering all factors that can have an impact on successful outcomes. Thus, our community membership activities lead us to address the needs and access to options incorporating a variety of areas: school, work, living arrangements, leisure and recreational needs, spiritual life, friendships, and circles of support.

Systems Change 

Just as successful outcomes for people with disabilities call for a holistic approach, Institute faculty and staff consider that the most effective way to influence outcomes for people with disabilities is to focus on ways to change systems and build capacity beyond individual success. Thus, we foster ways of behaving that influence how services and supports can be reorganized to support inclusion, and how policies and procedures can be modified to enable self-determination. Our training and technical assistance is geared toward helping individuals shift philosophy and change daily practices. Systems change activities are directed toward all types and levels of systems — family, neighborhood, individual schools and agencies, government, and university to assure long term impact of Institute endeavors.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration 

For many years, the Indiana Institute has demonstrated best practices in interdisciplinary teaming and parent-professional partnerships. Now, however, given contemporary conceptions of the "new interdisciplinary team," we expand our concept of "interdisciplinary" to include diversified notions of collaboration — we seek to engage in interdependent relationships with a variety of people, both lay and professional, as together, we engage in the process of creating change. The Institute is exploring new concepts of interdependence with individuals with disabilities, parents, and other family members. A focus on "community teams," drawing in not only professionals in traditional disability-related disciplines, but also personnel from "generic" community disciplines such as business, law, journalism, and community organizations are being pursued as well.

Information for Decision Making 

With rapid rates of change in the disabilities field and the shift to community-based services, it can be difficult to acquire up-to-date information. The Indiana Institute is committed to meeting the information needs of persons with disabilities, family members, faculty and students, professionals, direct service providers, policy makers, and the general public to support their decision making. Our wealth of resources (an interdisciplinary staff, a computerized directory of services, and a large, specialized library collection) are easily available, free or at low cost, to all citizens of Indiana. Institute resources and information are available in large type, Braille, or audio formats.

Listen, Support, and Follow 

Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift (1995) help us remember that despite our resources, the most effective way to "do the right thing" is to listen actively to people with disabilities, family members, and communities as they articulate their hopes and dreams. This ongoing and proactive needs assessment, before, during, and after activities, guides the Institute's subsequent actions and decision making processes so that we can better facilitate creative planning and problem solving. The voices of our constituents articulate the ways to better support people with disabilities and family members as integral parts of the Institute. They can be found working and contributing in all aspects of our programmatic and administrative activities: as members of the Indiana Institute's management team, as advisory council members, as product developers and reviewers, and as co-presenters, co-grant writers, co-evaluators, and co-researchers. Since 1986, The Institute has engaged more than 75 parents and family members with disabilities as active participants in its activities, including 26 in paid staff positions. More recently, the faculty and staff of the Institute have committed to include individuals with disabilities as paid staff by employing local high school students and adults through a local supported employment program.