Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies
Mission
To conduct timely and meaningful research and evaluation to inform health and disability policy, with the goal of improving access and quality of care for all people, particularly for those with disabilities and chronic illnesses.
Current Projects
Disability and Health Data Collaborative
In collaboration with researchers from New York, Massachusetts and South Carolina, this project builds upon previous IHDPS work (KS Disability and Health Program, 2016-2022) to study the Medicaid utilization trends of individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and those with serious and persistent mental illness. The study will allow for comparisons between four unique states and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Evaluation of the Kansas Medicaid STEPS Program
Supports and Training for Employing People Successfully (STEPS) is a program through which people with disabilities and/or behavioral health conditions may seek a path to employment without jeopardizing their Social Security benefits or losing Medicaid coverage. IHDPS is conducting an evaluation of this program for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). For more information about STEPS go to: https://www.kancare.ks.gov/consumers/working-healthy/steps
Kansas Medicaid Wait List Study
IHDPS staff are working with the KU-Center on Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) and KU-Center for Research on Aging and Disability (CRADO) to examine the compositions of the Medicaid physical disability and intellectual/developmental disability waivers wait lists. Research activities include surveys and interviews with individuals on the wait list and their families, examination of state-level data and analysis of Medicaid claims data in order to make recommendations to the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) on how best to reduce these wait lists. Further information is available by contacting the study Principal Investigator, Evan Dean (UCEDD).
National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD)
This project builds upon the success of the National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD) first 3 waves and develops partnerships with other NIDILRR-funded projects to develop survey questions, analyze data using appropriate methods, and assure activities are conducted in a rigorous and timely fashion.Use of the well-established NSHD provides the opportunity for collecting longitudinal, pre- and post-pandemic, data.
Findings will be used to develop policy briefs, consumer resources, scholarly journal articles, and specific policy and practice recommendations to address identified pandemic-related issues that affect the health and function, employment, and/or community living of Americans with disabilities. Anticipated outcomes of project activities include increased knowledge of the impact of COVID-19 and improved policies and practices.
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Advancing Employment Equity for Multiply Marginalized People with Disabilities (LU2E-RRTC)
As subcontractors to the Langston University RRTC on this NIDILRR-funded Equity Center, the research center will generate new knowledge leading to a reduction of disparities in employment outcomes among multiply marginalized people with disabilities (i.e., Black, Indigenous, and people of color [BIPOC], LGBTQIA+ status, poverty status, rural geography). IHDPS is collaborating with researchers from Langston to analyze data from our National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD) and conduct a follow-up Delphi study to provide detailed information about employment disparities and barriers.