The State Independent Living Council of California has a three year planning cycle. In the current cycle, the SILC initiated a multi-faceted effort to learn about state-wide needs of Californians with disabilities, especially the needs of individuals not traditionally included in Independent Living Center services. This paper presents the methods, experiences and findings of the needs study. During the study, data collection methods included review of census and administrative information on services and needs, state-sponsored hearings, fourteen focus groups in community organizations, in-depth interviews with key respondents and a survey available on the web, by email, fax and mail in English and Spanish. Quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were combined to identify the actions and services needed in California in areas of health, transportation, housing, record-keeping, emergency services, insurance and training. The study team provided information to the Council throughout the plan-making process. Information products include county-specific census data, interactive county-level information on-line, and reports of study findings.

Learning Objectives:

* At the end of the session, the participants will be able to: Identify alternative methods for conducting needs assessment
* Identify important administrative data that informs needs
* Evaluate use of focus groups and non-representative surveys in needs assessments
* Apply selected methods to other needs assessment projects

Keywords: Disability Studies, Community Planning

Related Web page: www.infouse.com/disabilityneeds