Consumer Satifaction Survey 2002-03



Consumer Satisfaction Survey

(2012 – 2013)

The WV Statewide Independent Living Council conducted a survey of consumer satisfaction with Independent Living services in West Virginia. The Council continued to use the instrument they developed several years ago. In the survey, consumers were asked to rate their level of agreement with statements about the independent living services they received. Consumers were also asked about specific services and their rights as a consumer. A final section included open-ended items designed to determine the consumers’ opinion about program changes or improvements that could be made.

The surveys were distributed periodically to consumers during the October 2012 to September 2013 time period. The Council staff received contact information for each closed case and a sample of open cases from each CIL. These lists were randomly sampled with replacements until a total of 50 telephone surveys were completed. All others on the lists received mail surveys.

There were 78 completed mail surveys in addition to the 50 telephone surveys. All surveys were conducted using the same instrument. A total of 337 surveys were distributed by mail and 50 were administered over the phone. A total of 128 surveys were completed. Thus, the response rate was 38%. This report summarizes the responses of those 128 surveys and details the findings for the 2012-2013 program year.

Demographic Information

Coverage by County. Surveys were distributed (by phone or mail) to consumers from 34 of the 55 counties in West Virginia. Responses were received from 25 counties. The following table lists the number of surveys sent and returned by county.

|County |N* |Sent** |County |N* |Sent** |

|Barbour |6 |8 |Monongalia |2 |5 |

|Berkeley | |1 |Monroe |1 |1 |

|Boone |3 |3 |Nicolas | |1 |

|Braxton |2 |4 |Ohio | |1 |

|Cabell |15 |83 |Putnam |1 |5 |

|Calhoun |4 |4 |Raleigh |25 |31 |

|Clay |2 |6 |Randolph |6 |13 |

|Fayette |3 |9 |Roane |6 |14 |

|Greenbrier |1 |1 |Summers |1 |5 |

|Hancock | |1 |Taylor | |1 |

|Harrison |3 |4 |Tucker |4 |7 |

|Jackson |9 |10 |Upshur |3 |15 |

|Kanawha |30 |78 |Wayne |1 |11 |

|Lewis |1 |2 |Webster | |1 |

|Lincoln | |1 |Wetzel |1 |1 |

|Mason | |4 |Wood |5 |4 |

|Mercer |1 |1 |Wyoming | |1 |

In terms of coverage of the state, the people who responded to this survey were concentrated in DRS District 1 (see district map). District 1 represented 43% of the returned surveys. District 4 had 25% of the responses, District 2 had 18%, District 5 had 12%, and District 3 had 4%. There were no responses from the consumers from the counties in District 6.

District 1: Boone (3 response), Calhoun, (4), Clay, (2), Jackson (9), Kanawha (30), Mason (0), Putnam (1), Roane (6) (58 responses = 46% of total)

District 2: Barbour (6 responses), Gilmer (0), Harrison (3), Lewis (1), Marion (0), Monongalia (2), Preston (0), Randolph (6), Taylor (0), Tucker (4), Upshur (3) (25 responses = 18%)

District 3: Brooke (0 responses), Doddridge (0), Hancock (0), Marshall (0), Ohio (0), Pleasants (0), Ritchie (0), Tyler (0), Wetzel (1), Wirt (0), Wood (5) (6 responses = 4%)

District 4: Braxton (2 responses), Fayette (3), Greenbrier (1), Mercer (1), Monroe (1), Nicholas (0), Pocahontas (0), Raleigh (125), Summers (1), Webster (0) (34 responses = 25%)

District 5: Cabell (15 responses), Lincoln (0), Logan (0), McDowell (0), Mingo (0), Wayne (1), Wyoming (0) (16 responses = 12%)

District 6: Berkeley (0 response), Grant (0), Hampshire (0), Hardy (0), Jefferson (0), Mineral (0), Morgan (0) Pendleton (0) (0 responses = 0%)

Type of Program. Each of the surveys contained codes for the programs in which consumers participated. There were 67 people in the Community Living Services Program, 22 people in the Title I-Part C program, 19 Family Support participants, 10 were in the Employment Services program, 10 received Title VII-Part B services, and 4 people who received DOE services. Some respondents participated in more than one program.

Type of Disability. The consumers were asked to indicate their disability. There were 116 people who listed a disabling condition (e.g., Diabetes) or a description of their disability (e.g., Multiple problems after an accident). There were 39 people who indicated that they have a motor-related disability (34% of the sample). The Motor category included spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, right leg amputee, arthritis, and other movement limitations. The Sensory category included vision and hearing impairments. People reported Cognitive impairments including learning disabilities, and Downs Syndrome. The Cardiac/Respiratory category included COPD and heart problems. The "Other/Various" category includes conditions such as cancer as well people who reported having mulitple disabling conditions (e.g., blind, athritis, and brain tumor).

|Type of Disability | Respondants | Percent |

|Motor |39 |34% |

|Other/Various |29 |25% |

|Cognitive |19 |16% |

|Sensory |12 |10% |

|Cardiac/Respiratory |10 |9% |

|Mental Health |7 |6% |

|Total |116 |100% |

Open versus Closed Cases. About 41% of the surveys were returned by consumers whose cases were still open and about 59% of the responses were from consumers who case had been closed (51 versus 74 responses).

Service Provider. The surveys were color coded to indicate which of the Centers provided services for each consumer. There were 26 surveys from the offices of Northern West Virginia Center for Independent Living (20%), 560 from the Appalachian Center for Independent Living (47%), and 42 from consumers at the Mountain State Centers for Independent Living offices (33% of total).

Living Situation. The respondents were asked whether they were "living where I want to live." Of the 119 consumers who responded, all but 20 answered affirmatively. This is a little more than 83% of consumers who said they are living where they want to live.

Survey Completed By. Of the 122 responses, 87 consumers completed the survey themselves (71%), 27 had a parent or guardian complete the form, and 8 indicated that someone "other" (e.g., spouse, case Manager) completed the survey.

Satisfaction Items

The consumers were asked to rate their agreement with a series of 14 statements about their interactions with independent living services. They used a Likert-type scale that ranged from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree with options to indicate that they were neutral or that the item was not applicable.

All Consumers. Table 1 lists the percent of responders who agreed or strongly agreed with each of the survey items for the previous 2 years and for this year. The first column of the Table is the survey item. The second column indicates the percent of responders who "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with the statement during the 2010-11 year. The third column represents the 2011-12 year. The last column of the table displays the current (2012-2013) percent of responders who "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with the item and the number of responders for each item.

As may be seen in Table 1, there is little fluxuation in levels of satisfaction across the 3 years that are displayed. When you take an average of satisfaction level for the previous 2 years, the current level is within just a few percentage points of that average. This may mean that although the absolute numbers change, the relative satisfaction level is fairly stable (within 5 percentage points for each item).

|Table 1. |% Agree/ Strongly Agree |

|Satisfaction Item | |

| |2010-2011 |2011-2012 |2012-2013 |

|1. My questions were answered clearly by the CIL staff. |96% |96% |97% (n=115) |

|2. The CIL staff members were good listeners. They understood my needs. |96% |95% |97% (n=118) |

|3. The information was given in a way that I could understand. |96% |98% |97% (n=118) |

|4. I chose my own independent living goals. |98% |98% |95% (n=104) |

|5. I chose the service(s) I needed to meet my goal(s). |98% |97% |94% (n=110) |

|6. The staff stayed in contact with me so I knew what was happening with my |93% |94% |93% (n=110) |

|services. | | | |

|7. The services I got helped me to be more independent. |96% |98% |94% (n=108) |

|8. The CIL staff told me about independent living resources. |85% |95% |92% (n=101) |

|9. The CIL staff told me about job opportunities. |85% |88% |89% (n=46) |

|10. The CIL staff treated me with courtesy and respect. |97% |98% |96% (n=114) |

|11. I am satisfied with the services I received. |97% |98% |95% (n=118) |

|12. (If you went to the CIL office) The CIL office was accessible. |90% |98% |95% (n=75) |

|13. Overall, the CIL staff members were excellent. |95% |98% |95% (n=111) |

|14. Overall, the services I received from the CIL were excellent. |95% |96% |95% (n=115) |

Table 1 indicates that for this sample, 90% or more of the consumers Agree or Strongly Agree with all but one of the 14 satisfaction items. Eighty-nine percent of the 46 people who responded Agreed or Strongly Agreed with Item 9 (The CIL staff told me about job opportunities). The lowest response rates (fewest people responding) were for the items concerning (1) receiving information about job opportunities (46 responses) and (2) the accessibility of the CIL office (75 responses). This is similar to previous years.

Two years ago, one item (The CIL staff told me about job opportunities or independent living resources) was split into two items to clarify what information consumers are given. New Item 8 addresses independent living resources and New Item 9 address job opportunities. In previous years, the responders agreed that they were given IL and job information at about 84%. This year, there was 92% agreement they responders received IL information. The item about job opportunities was lower at about 89% agreement. The job opportunities item was also the one with the lowest response rate. It appears that splitting the item increased the number of responders to the item about IL resources and is a better measure of the information provided.

The following graph indicates that, although the strength of agreement with each item varied slightly from last year to this year, the patterns are similar.

[pic]

Respondents with Open versus Closed Cases. There were 74 individuals whose cases were closed when they completed the survey and 54 who were still receiving services (open case). It is difficult to make meaningful comparisons between those groups since the number of people in each group is so different. A comparison of the satisfaction ratings of the two groups was made to determine whether patterns of difference existed. The percent of consumer responses by open versus closed cases are displayed in the following graph and in Table 2.

The mean responses for the Open case group ranged from 82% to 94% agreement with each statement. The mean responses for the Closed case group ranged from 95% to 97% agreement. The "mean of means" was 96% for the Closed group and 88% for the Open Case group.

The pattern of responses (as displayed in the graph) show the differences in reported satisfaction between the two groups. The rating for each item is lower for those in the Open case group with ratings varying from 3% to 14% lower than those in the Closed case group.

Consumers of Different CILS

Of the 128 completed surveys, 60 responses were received from consumers of the Appalachian CIL, 26 responses from the Northern WV CIL, and 42 responses from the Mountain State CIL. The following graph compares the responses to the satisfaction items by CIL. As may be noted in the graph, the overall patterns are similar across the 3 CILS. Given the differences in the number of responses per Center, caution should be exercised in interpreting this graph.

Rights Information

The consumers were asked to indicate which rights information had been explained to them. For each rights item in this survey, the consumers were asked to indicate whether the right had been explained, had not been explained, or that they did not remember being told about that right. There were 86 individuals who responded that at least one right had been explained (67% of the sample). Another 18 people said they didn’t remember being told any rights information, and 4 said they were not told about their rights.

Most individuals indicated that they had received several rights explanations. Therefore, the total number of rights explained was 668. If each of these individuals had been given information about each of the rights listed, the total would have been 774 (86 individuals X 9 issues).

In the following table, Column 1 lists the type of rights information. Column 2 reports the number of individuals who indicated they were told about that right. Column 3 lists the percent of responders who report that they were not told about it. Column 4 lists those who did not remember being told about that right.

|Type of rights information |Told |Not Told |Don’t Remember |

|Appeal any decision about eligibility |73 |12 |24 |

|Choose my IL goal |75 |6 |27 |

|Help develop my IL plan or to have services without a plan |73 |6 |27 |

|Know about available services |81 |7 |22 |

|Request another CIL staff person |72 |9 |25 |

|Appeal decisions about services |76 |7 |22 |

|Choose how services were provided |77 |6 |22 |

|Contact Client Assistance Program (CAP) |68 |7 |29 |

|Choose who provided my services |73 |7 |25 |

Consumers indicated that they were most often made aware of their rights to know about all the services that are available (81). They were least often made aware of their right to Contact CAP (68). There were 58 people who said that each right had been explained to them, 5 people who reported that they were not told any rights information, and 18 who said they could not remember being told rights information. This is the third year in which clients were asked to indicate that they had not been told information or don’t remember being told rights information. The responses for this year mimic the previous responses, but this information should be tracked to help assess the process of providing rights information to consumers.

Impact of Services

The consumers were asked, "Did the CIL services help to make your life different?" Of the 121 people who responded to this item, 104 (86%) reported that the services did make a difference, 10% said the services had not made a difference, and 4% were unsure about whether services had made a difference.

The responders were asked to describe how the services had made a difference in their lives. There were 80 comments detailing receipt of services that were helpful in terms of Employment, Home modification, Life skills, Medical supplies/assistance, Transportation, and Other. These comments are listed below.

Received Adaptive Equipment:

• Helped with devices for visually impaired. I am blind.

• I can hear better and can hear on phone and call people with just pushing the button (programmed) and use speaker hands free phone feature.

• I received a hearing aid I could not afford to buy.

• Provided adaptive equipment.

• The chair I received has heat and message and it helps a little due to arthritis I have.

• The I-Pad has helped my son with speaking and learning. Spio Suite (sp?) is great pressure for calming and therapy.

• They gave me a walker.

• They have given her an I-pad for school.

• They have given her hearing aids and they help her get her medicine.

• They help me get a lift for the van so I could go to doctor appointment, shopping, and visit family and friends.

• They help me to walk better and gave me a walker to use when I go shopping.

• They helped me get a bed, so I could sleep better.

• They helped me get a lift chair so I could get up.

• They provided me with a hearing aid.

• They provided Mom with hearing aids and were very nice.

• Yes, I will be able to go more places when I can get my wheel chair in the car.

Employment:

• I found a good job with their help.

• They are helping me a get a job.

• They have been helping me fill out job applications and checking on me at work.

• They have been trying to help me get a job, but I haven't got one yet.

• They helped me get a job.

Home modification/improvement:

• A walker and a shower stool.

• Before they built my porch I could only get in and out of my house by riding a bush hog up and down. Now I feel like I have freedom. I can go by myself in and out and wander the yard with y chair. Thank you very much.

• Big struggle to get into shower. Got old shower made into walk-in shower and provided shower chair. It is so much safer and now I can hold on to safety bars and lift myself and get myself into shower chair. Has given me more independence and self respect. It has also benefitted my parents who are old and sickly and make to more accessible to them also.

• Having myasthenia gravis often times I choose to not leave my home out of fear that my energy will be used, making getting back into my home impossible.

• Help make it easier for my husband to do his bathing easier with the walk in shower.

• I am able to get out of the house more now that I have a lift to get into the car.

• I am able to now get in to take a shower commode and sink are great and new floor.

• I can leave my house now, I can go shopping, work my garden.

• I get out of the house by myself and I’m around others like myself.

• I received an outside lift to get from the sidewalk to the front porch. I used to get panic attacks approaching my steps from the store because I had so much trouble making it up the steps. Now it's no problems and I can use my battery operated wheelchair as well.

• I'm able to get up and down the stairs much easier.

• It is much easier for him to use the bathroom and get a bath.

• It made it much easier to get in my house because I couldn't climb steps and my old ramp was falling.

• Made my bathroom much more accessible.

• Provided me with a ramp and a walk in shower, and lift chair.

• She was afraid to get in the bathtub, but now she will take a shower. Thanks. Very much.

• The work they have done on my deck is above and beyond what I could expect not only can I get out of my house but it is beautiful and I really enjoy it.

• They are going to help me get a ramp (thank you). Have not received services yet, but, yes it will make a difference.

• They built a ramp so I could get out the house more.

• They gave me a new bathroom.

• They have put up railings in my house and have given me a shower seat.

• They installed a ramp so I can get in and out of my house.

• They made my life different, they put in a whole new bathroom for me.

• They provided my wife and I with a ramp leading to her house so she can get out more.

• They put in a lift chair and ramp.

• They put in a ramp for me and I can get out of the house easier now.

• We can get her in and out of the home much easier with the ramp and the emergency (911) people can get the equipment in the home instead of her having to walk down the steps to the equipment. Thank you so very much. God bless you.

• Yes, we got ramps put in so now I can go where I need to go.

Daily Living skills:

• A walker and a shower stool.

• Help me to keep my house cleaner and clothes washed.

• Helping me learn life skills and job placement.

• I was working with the IL specialist. We were about 1/4 through my relearning curriculum when he was laid off. No one has helped me since. I am very angry. {Name} was very good and I learned a lot from him. I have a lot I still need to learn, too.

• They are help me with my read and math. I go to literacy and CIL is get me IPod.

• They are helping me to learn to cook for myself.

• They are helping our daughter with skills training.

• They have someone come and help me.

• They provide a caregiver for me and it really helps and I really like her.

• Yes, I taught people how to read and I go to meeting there.

Medical supplies/assistance:

• Gave me a blood pressure machine and a chair for my bathtub.

• Helped to provide prosthetic leg.

• They have made her life a lot better and provided a bed and pads for her.

• They helped me pay for my prosthetic leg.

• Gave me a blood pressure machine and a chair for my bathtub.

• Helped to provide prosthetic leg.

Other:

• Family support.

• Helped me feel as if they truly care about me and made me feel that my needs were important.

• I am working with DRS to find a job. NWVCIL has helped me learn bus system.

• If not for CIL my son would not have the enjoyment of an outside play set, and new tires to provide a safe way to take him to his doctor's appts. Thank you.

• I'm able to get around a little better.

• They are going to help me with everything.

• They explained things to me in simple words I understand. They didn't push me to do things. They let me decide. That what I like about them.

• They have taught him new skills, got him a weighted vest and an I-pad.

• Use of the lending program and family support.

• We have only had state nurse evaluate for waiver. She does qualify. She can't get no more help but 13 hours a week from Lighthouse. We see house call had therapy still have nurse. They are a blessing.

• Yes, I'm getting the help I need and I can live in my own home.

Resources:

• Helping out finding resources and help out financially by being paid to do goals and travel reimbursement. Also having much needed respite.

• Without CIL staff I wouldn't know who to contact or how to get problems solved.

• Yes they put me in contact with great doctors and helped me get my bills paid.

Transportation:

• By providing me with a bus pass to get around. And by helping me realize my goals. Also invaluable help by working with me to update my resume.

• They help me get places.

• They take me to my meetings.

None:

• Do not receive any. My income is only sufficient for my needs barely.

• Well they are helping us but we are still waiting on them to install a shower and a toilet.

• They did more harm than help.

• I haven't really heard anything back about my case.

• They haven’t done anything for me.

• I think they do the best they can, but they haven’t helped me.

• I don't want to answer this question.

• I now owe $3000 to Lowes because we had to pay for everything and we also had to pay the contractor $660 cash and we also have to make $200 month payments to the program we are now out $4600 that we not have to start with. I have nothing nice or good to say about this program. It is a scam.

Services Received

The survey recipients were asked to indicate which IL services they had received. There were 116 people who indicated that they had received at least one service. The following table lists the types of services they said they received.

|Type of Service |Consumers |

|a. If I had a problem, they stood up for me or helped me stand up for myself. |36 |

|b. The CIL staff put me in touch with other agencies or people who could help me. |40 |

|c. I received items that help me do things I need to do. |46 |

|d. They helped me find another person with a disability I could talk to. |16 |

|e. They gave me information about how to take better care of myself. |42 |

|f. They taught me how to make choices to improve how I live. |40 |

|g. They taught me new skills that I wanted to learn. |29 |

|h. They helped to see if changes to my home, truck, car, or van could make my life easier. |46 |

|i. They helped to make my surroundings more accessible (ramps, lifts, hand rails). |53 |

|j. They helped me find a place to live. |10 |

|k. They helped me get transportation to the places I needed to go. |23 |

The consumers reported a receiving a variety of services. They most often reported receiving help with home modifications, assistive technology, and help with home accessibility. Some services are used less often than others, but low-incidence services (e.g., helped me find a place to live) may be life-changing for the person who needs that service. It may be more important to examine the breadth of services provided than the absolute incidence of a particular service. There were 2 individuals who reported that they received each of the 11 services listed. There were 9 people who received between 7 and 10, 31 people who received between 4 and 6 services, and 74 people who reported that they received 1 to 3 services. This variety in the number and type of services received may be seen as an indicator that services are individualized to meet client needs.

Service Needs

The consumers were asked, "What other services would you like the CIL to offer?" There were 87 individuals who responded to this item. Of these, 41 said they had no additional needs and 8 people said they didn’t know what services were offered. Comments included:

▪ An Independent Living teacher.

▪ Bathroom modification.

▪ Don’t know what they have to offer.

▪ Employment services.

▪ Fix porch. Falling down.

▪ Food lunch

▪ Food services and food pantry

▪ Give borderline financial help to people like me. Medicaid card.

▪ Groups that I can attend.

▪ Have no other needs at this time.

▪ Help me get hearing aids.

▪ Help me get a job and my driver's license.

▪ Help more to get jobs. Job Squad is not good enough.

▪ Help to get a little job. Need more income.

▪ Help us find a home we can use a wheelchair and keep our dog.

▪ Help with a power chair hauler. Been low on food and propane a lot.

▪ Home improvement to make my home more safe.

▪ Home renovation for myasthenia gravis survivor.

▪ How to work with a budget or money.

▪ I don't know they have been great.

▪ I don't want to answer this question.

▪ I need a handicap bathroom. The bathroom is very small. Thank you.

▪ I need to get something to help me comb my hair because I can't lift my arms that high.

▪ I think it needs help me find other friend.

▪ I will ask for bedroom set next time.

▪ I wish they still offered food services, assistance with house repairs for low income people.

▪ I wish they would have told me what they offer.

▪ I would like someone to provide transportation to dr office and get groceries and pay bills.

▪ I would like to know about independent living resources and CIL services. Any and all services.

▪ Level floor and windows.

▪ No I just needed help getting my prosthetic.

▪ No, I couldn’t ask for anything more than what they have done.

▪ No, they have been great.

▪ No, they have given me everything I need.

▪ Nothing that I know of.

▪ Optical services.

▪ Provide assistance for shopping

▪ Reading class.

▪ Right now can't think of any.

▪ Thank you. They offer everything I need.

▪ The alert around neck

▪ The services was fantastic.

▪ To get more help for people that need it for more time so family can work to pay for supplies we have to pay for and pay for help.

▪ Transportation.

▪ Tutoring classes, possibly for adults going back to college.

▪ Yes, I really think they should help with emergency repairs to the home, like sewer problems and leaks.

▪ We just got help remodeling our bathroom to make it more accessible. So we are not aware of other services you offer.

▪ We need repair to our roof and gutters. Could you help it is leaking.

▪ Wheelchair.

What could we do better?

There were 85 consumers who responded to this item. Comments included praise and appreciation for services, suggestions for improvements, complaints, and other/none. These comments follow.

Suggestions:

➢ Can you let me know what other services you offer.

➢ Get the funds to you in a more timely manner.

➢ Have a office closer to where I live (Wetzel County).

➢ Hire [name] back. Fire the director.

➢ I think decreasing the paperwork for the actual caregivers and have them summarize what they did with the client. Instead of the goal being if they did individually or verbally probpted. Just summarize how they did it in writing. It would give a better view of how good they did.

➢ I wish they would call me more often.

➢ If they could do things faster it would be great.

➢ Let us know what else you offer. My clients partents are in their late 70s and struggle to care of my client when I'm not here. I would love to know what else you offer so it could make their life easier.

➢ Offer small home renovation opportunities more often (interior and exterior).

➢ Someone to care for me like cooking, cleaning, shopping.

➢ Take me to check on jobs because I can't afford gas.

➢ They should have guys experiences checking things out when they do building on, electric wiring, flooring, and etc making sure the jobs are done right.

Praise:

➢ Everything was done very good. We really appreciate all your help, please help us again if you can.

➢ I can't speak for anyone else but they have given me everything I have asked for.

➢ I was pleased with the service. I'm so thankful for the stairlift. Everyone was always so nice. Thank you so much.

➢ It's a great place! I can't think of anything off the top of my head. Keep up the good works!

➢ No, my wife and I are very happy with them.

➢ No, the have been wonderful to her.

➢ No, they are awesome.

➢ No, they do the best they can.

➢ No, they were excellent all the way around.

➢ No, they were wonderful.

➢ Nothing they are great.

➢ Nothing. I love my little porch and ramp.

➢ Nothing. Service was excellent.

➢ Nothing. Yur a good service.

➢ Thank you for my ramp.

➢ The did a wonderful job. The men was very nice and no what they were doing.

➢ The entire process was smooth and no chages are needed in my opinion.

➢ The wrok was done beautifully and I appreciated it so much. Thank you.

➢ They treated me fairly.

➢ We think your doing a great job. Thank you.

➢ You are already better. Thank you.

➢ You are doing great. Thank you for your help.

➢ You are the best.

➢ Your doing great.

Complaints:

➢ All I will say is there is a lot they could do better.

➢ I am completely dissatisfied, the conractor made our bathroom unsafe, the contracor brought a women with him who told me she was on Meth and later she passed out in the rain in our driveway, the contractor cost my family a lot of money fixing his mistakes and no one from the center will even come out and look at the mess he has made.

➢ I think the staff are really great, but one of the carpenters stole my pain medicine, I reported it, but other than that I am really satisfied with the job tthey did.

➢ My mother is still waiting! on the list for hearing aids.

➢ New pop machine. People don't listen to teacher.

➢ No one ever talked to us about any services. I called and applied for help with our bathroom. This is the biggest joke ever. I have nothing nice to say about this program. I am thinking about calling the enws to do a piece about how this cost us so much money out-opf-pocket and the faulty work that was done.

➢ We need a different day care provider, the manwe have now is not a match with my father.

Other/none:

➢ No (X 23)

➢ No, I don't know

➢ No, not really

➢ No, not that I can think

➢ Not that I can think of

➢ Not that I know of (X 2)

➢ Nothing (X 3)

➢ Nothing really

➢ Can't think of a thing right now.

➢ I don't think so (X 2)

➢ I need a ramp and rails at my front steps.

➢ I would be happy to do the survey, but there has never been any in home care given to me yet. We are still trying to get approval and get care started. I wish I could be more help.

➢ No, just the emergency repairs

➢ No, we are still on the waiting list for the shower and toilet so I can only go on what we have had so far.

➢ They haven’t done anything for me.

➢ When the system punishes the ones that work and the ones that never work gets all.

Clarification of Item 8.

The consumers who completed the survey over the telephone were asked to clarify Item 8: “The CIL staff told me about independent living resources I could use.” If the person said that they had received information about such resources, they were asked to describe those resources. Their comments follow.

• I am not sure what they offer.

• I am still waiting on my lift for my car.

• I can't remember what they told me.

• I didn't really ask.

• I don’t know really.

• I don’t really remember what they told me.

• I don't know what you mean.

• I don't know, all they do is take me to my meetings.

• I feel that they explained everything.

• I have told them what I need and they have provided it for me.

• I think they have.

• They are helpful with knowing who to contact for help.

• They explained about the services that could help me.

• They have been great and helped me find out about services in town.

• They helped me get in contact with my caregiver.

• They helped me get in contact with places to get my medication.

• They told me about resources, but it was the center that provided what I needed.

• Well, they explained the things they could help me with.

• Yes they explained everything I needed to know, and they were great with my Dad.

• Yes they have been very helpful to us.

• Yes they have been wonderful to us.

• Yes they have provided me with so much.

• Yes, and I used to help there so I already know what they do.

• Yes, but I am still waiting on services.

• Yes, but in other places they help more with getting jobs.

• Yes, I feel like the people at the center are like friends, they have explained everything.

• Yes, I feel like they have explained my options to me.

• Yes, they are already helping me with a lot.

• Yes, they have been great.

• Yes, they have explained everything.

• Yes, they have told us what there is for services.

• Yes, they treat me good.

• Yes, they were very nice.

Summary

Demographics. In this sample, the respondents represent 5 of the 6 districts of West Virginia, and 25 of the 55 counties in the state are represented. That does not mean that consumers from the other counties were not served during this reporting period, but there were no survey responses received from consumers in those counties.

Responders were participants in the Community Living Services Program (67 people), Title I-Part C (22), Family Support Program (19), Employment Services (10), Title VII-Part B (10), and DOE (4). Several individuals participate in more than one service program.

There were 116 people who provided information about their disability. About one-third reported having a motor-related disability (e.g., arthritis, amputation, knee or hip replacement, spinal cord injury, or other problems that affect mobility). Twenty-five percent listed Other/Various conditions (including cancer or a variety of impairments), 9% reported having a Cardiac/Respiratory disability such as COPD, heart attack, or asthma, 16% reported a cognitive disability, 10% had either hearing or vision problems, and 6% reported that they have a Mental Health-related disability (e.g., depression, schizophrenia).

Over half of the consumers (59%) in the sample had Closed cases at the time they completed the survey. More than 80% reported that they were “living where they want to live.” About 70% of the consumers completed the survey themselves.

Satisfaction Items. According to the responses to the Likert-type items, at least 90% of the consumers reported that they Agree or Strongly Agree with each statement except, “The CIL staff told me about job opportunities” which was rated at 89%. These percentages, across the board, are similar to the ratings from the last reporting period. Also, the pattern of responses to the satisfaction items across the CILs was very similar for most items. Again this year, those with Closed cases rated each of the satisfaction items higher than did the responders whose cases were still Open.

Rights Information. About 67% of the consumers reported that they were given specific information about their rights (or at least 1 right) as a client. Consumers most often were told about their right to know about available services. This was the third year they were asked to indicate whether they were told about each right, were not told about each right, or don’t remember being told. The pattern of responses was similar to those in the previous survey and provides a clearer picture of the rights information told to clients.

Impact of Services. Consumers were asked whether the services had an impact on their lives. Of the people who responded, 86% agreed that they did see a difference. When asked to describe how the services had impacted their lives, consumers listed the Adaptive Equipment, Employment, Home modification, Daily Living skills, Medical Supplies/assistance, Resources, Transportation, and Other services as being important. The comments describing the impact of services tells the story of the provision of important, life-changing services.

Services Received. Consumers reported receiving a variety of services. There were 2 consumers who reported receiving each of the 11 types of services (e.g., advocacy, I&R, assistive technology, skills training). There were 116 people who reported receiving a total of 381 specific services for an average of about 3 services per person. Most consumers reported that they had received a variety of services.

Service Needs. When asked about additional service needs, 87 consumers responded. They listed needs related to Home Modification/Housing, Medical Assistance, IL Classes, Employment, and Transportation.

Improvements. When asked, "What things could we do better?" 85 consumers responded. Most of the responses were praise for the staff and programs. Others offered suggestions for improvements such as increasing awareness of services offered and timeliness of services.

Overall. These 128 responses to the survey describe a program that is providing high quality services that have direct impact on the lives of people with disabilities in West Virginia. The consistently high levels of satisfaction with existing services, requests for additional services, and interest in new services are indicators of satisfaction and increased demand for services such as those offered by the CILs in West Virginia.

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West Virginia

Statewide Independent Living Council

Report of Survey Findings

October 2012 through September 2013

Prepared by

Denetta Dowler, Ed. D.

February, 2014

* N = the number of responses from that county** Sent=number of surveys distributed in that county

West Virginia DRS Districts

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