National Core Indicators Project and Survey Information

The Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services mission is “To connect people with disabilities and their families to resources and supports to live their best life.” ​

To support this mission, BDDS will continue participating in the National Core Indicators project. NCI is utilized across 48 states to assess the quality and outcomes of Developmental Disability services provided to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The NCI project is a collaboration between the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services and the Human Services Research Institute. NCI offers valid, reliable, person-centered measures that states use to demonstrate how publicly funded supports are impacting people’s lives and to determine where they can improve the quality of those supports. More information regarding the NCI project is available on the NCI website.

BDDS has partnered with the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University, to facilitate the survey process and provide meaningful data analysis. The mission of IIDC 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. IIDC has had a long-standing partnership with the BDDS and brings valuable expertise to this initiative.

The in-person survey will be conducted with adult individuals receiving services through the Community Integration and Habilitation and Family Supports waivers as well as individuals receiving supervised group living services. Individuals may choose to have a face-to-face interview or utilize a remote interview process utilizing HIPAA compliant video conferencing. For face-to-face interviews, surveyors will schedule and coordinate with the individual, legal representative, provider, and family in order to adhere to both IIDC and provider established safety protocols (e.g. PPE and social distancing).

The IIDC survey team will be contacting individuals, legal representatives, case managers, service coordinators, and providers to coordinate the interview process and gather specific information regarding the individual. The in-person interviews will occur between September 2022 and June 2023.

BDDS will also administer Child Family Survey with a representative sample of parents/guardians/legal representatives who have a child with IDD (under age 18) living with them in the family home. The survey will be mailed to the parent/guardian/legal representative and include an optional link to complete online. The administration of the Child Family Survey will begin in October 2022.

The 2020-21 NCI in-person COVID-19 supplement survey contains the experience of individuals with IDD during the COVID-19 pandemic in the areas of diagnosis and hospitalizations, changes to services and supports, the role of technology, adequacy of supports, health and safety, and the personal fallout from enforced isolation and anxiety. The report is available.  

Your questions may be addressed in the Frequently Asked Questions available here. Questions may also be sent to Marcie Beers, NCI project coordinator, (812) 855-4592, mlbeers@iu.edu. We look forward to working together to gather this valuable information across the state and support individuals to live their best lives.
 
The DDRS is a program of the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration. If you have questions about DDRS programs and services, visit us online at www.DDRS.In.gov.​