Joint Needs Assessment: What We’ve Learned for the Work Ahead
By Jolene Sharp, Chief Strategy Officer, TN Council on Developmental Disabilities
Tennessee’s Developmental Disabilities Network has made national history with its just-completed joint needs assessment. What does that really mean for Tennessee’s disability community?
First, some background: The Developmental Disabilities (DD) Network exists in every state and is made up of three branches, all created under the same federal law.
- Councils on Developmental Disabilities are the policy change (That’s us!)
- University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities are the research, training, and clinical services branch – Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and the University of Tennessee Center on Developmental Disabilities in our state.
- The Protection and Advocacy agency is the legal monitoring, investigation, and advocacy branch – Disability Rights Tennessee in our state.
The DD Network is the only source for this comprehensive support to the statewide developmental disability community.
What is a “needs assessment” – and why does it matter?
As part of our work, each of our DD Network agencies is required to do a “needs assessment” every five years. This helps us understand the issues that matter most to citizens – which helps us know what we need to work on to improve the lives of Tennessee’s developmental disability community.
In the past, each of our organizations did a separate public survey on a different schedule. This past year, we took a different approach. Our DD Network worked together to do a single “joint needs assessment.” We were surprised to find out that no state DD Network had ever tried this before – we would be the first!
Through a single survey and set of focus groups, all our agencies were able to hear from over a thousand Tennesseans about their needs and priorities, including many of you! Now, we can share what we’ve learned across our agencies and coordinate our work to address the needs of our Tennessee developmental disabilities community.
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researchers led the process, lending valuable expertise to the survey development, focus groups, and data analysis. Together, we were able to develop a more thorough and efficient process.
What did we ask?
Our organizations worked together to develop a survey that asked questions in several key areas:
- What areas of life are most important to Tennesseans with disabilities and their families?
- Are Tennesseans with disabilities getting the help they need?
- What are the opinions of Tennesseans on services in our state?
- How well do local communities include people with disabilities?
- How do Tennesseans learn new disability information?
Who did we hear from?
Our needs assessment received responses from a total of 1,496 Tennesseans – more than any of our organizations could have achieved alone.
- 322 were adults with disabilities.
- 693 were family members or loved ones of a person with a disability.
- 481 were professionals in the disability field.
Respondents were from a wide range of ages, disability types, races/ethnicities, and geographic locations across the state.
What did we learn?
We’ll share highlights from several of the areas we covered in the needs assessment.
Valued Areas of Life
Respondents said the top five areas of life that are important to them are:
- Medical care and therapies (92% ranked somewhat or very important)
- Advocacy/self-advocacy (91%)
- Future planning (90%)
- Mental health and wellness (87%)
- Financial assistance (83%)
Experiences Finding Information and Help
- 63% agreed or strongly agreed they know where to find information about disability services in Tennessee.
- However, only 16% agreed or strongly agreed that it’s easy to find the help they need.
This tells us that most people know where to look for information about disability services, but struggle to access actual help with their needs.
Areas of Need
We asked respondents if their needs were met in a range of areas. The areas of greatest need that emerged were:
- Respite and childcare
- Future planning
- Transition from high school
The top barriers people listed to getting the help they needed were:
- It costs too much. (44%)
- I don’t know where to find help. (43%)
- Applying for help is hard or confusing. (43%)
Statewide Priorities
Our survey asked people to choose five areas our state should focus on for people with disabilities in the next five years. The top responses were:
- Financial assistance
- Housing
- Mental health and wellness
- Medical care and therapies
- Advocacy
Perspectives on Community Inclusion
We asked people to respond to the statement, “I feel a part of my community.”
- 54% of adults with disabilities agreed or strongly agreed – 47% disagreed or strong disagreed.
- 51% of family members agreed or strongly agreed – 49% disagreed or strongly disagreed.
This tells us that a true sense of belonging is still out of reach for many people with disabilities and their families.
What happens next?
This article gives just a few high-level takeaways from our DD Network joint needs assessment. A full, public report on the results will be available very soon. Watch our social media feeds and newsletters for updates!
The joint needs assessment will inform each of our agencies as we write new plans that outline what we will work on for the next several years. We are each required to do that on a slightly different schedule. We will communicate publicly about our new plans as we are working on them. You will have the chance to provide input before the plans are final. Our Council’s new plan will begin in 2026 – watch next year for your opportunity to comment on the draft!
We are so grateful to every person who took the time to offer valuable input for our joint needs assessment. As July kicks off a new state fiscal year, our DD Network agencies are hard at work, together with all of you, to help create the bright future our community deserves.