Law Commons^™

Tools For Inclusion: From Stress To Success: Making Social Security Work For Your Young Adult, Danielle Dreilinger, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

How does receiving Social Security affect families as their children move into adulthood? This brief shares families' experiences and suggests ways that families can manage SSI and use it to help a young adult prepare for their career.

Institute Brief: Developing Interagency Agreements: Four Questions To Consider, John Butterworth, Susan Foley, Deborah Metzel

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Recent legislation emphasizes collaboration between state agencies. A good interagency agreement is one tool that can assist collaboration and promote systems change. Researchers offer four important considerations for an effective agreement and a worksheet for agency personnel.

A Preliminary Survey Of The Sewage Pumpout Facilities In The No Discharge Areas Of Massachusetts, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This survey provides a preliminary review of the activities of pumpout facilities in the No Discharge Areas of Massachusetts. It highlights areas of concern, identifies potential improvements and focuses further research.

Based on data from Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management, there are 100 pumpout facilities in Massachusetts, located in 56 towns. Of these 52, have one or more pumpout boats. Due to financial limitations and the time available, any attempt to survey all these facilities was beyond the scope of this study. However, it had been suggested that from CZM’s, DMF’s and EPA’s standpoint, the areas of greatest interest were those …

Gender Politics In Massachusetts: Progress For Paid Family Leave, Elizabeth A. Sherman

New England Journal of Public Policy

Advances in the educational and occupational status of women in the United States over the past quarter century have greatly expanded the participation of women in the workforce. However, economic and social changes in women’s lives have put pressure on traditional family roles and on the political system to respond to the problems families face balancing work and family responsibilities. Initiatives for paid family leave in Massachusetts reflect the newfound political strength of women in politics — as leaders of political organizations, as elected officials, and as voters — and the willingness of the state’s political elite to grapple with …

Redistricting On Beacon Hill And Political Power On Capitol Hill: Ancient Legacies And Present-Day Perils, Richard A. Hogarty, Garrison Nelson

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article discusses legislative reapportionment and past efforts to manipulate district lines as far back as the legendary Elbridge Gerry in the early nineteenth century. Specifically, it deals with what political history has to tell us about the current furor over House Speaker Thomas Finneran’s proposed congressional redistricting. More than any other state in the Union, the Massachusetts lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have enjoyed disproportionate power as a result of a bipartisan strategy of incumbency protection dating back to the 1940s. That power may be in jeopardy if Speaker Finneran implements his plans to create a new …

Research To Practice: The Extent Of Consumer-Directed Funding By Mr/Dd State Agencies In Day And Employment Services, Deborah Metzel

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Individual control over service delivery and life choices is well established as a value in supports for individuals with developmental disabilities. One strategy for expanding choice is mechanisms that allow consumers to direct their funding. This brief reports on the prevalence of these options in state MR/DD agencies for 1999.

Quality Of Life As Defined By Chinese Americans With Disabilities: Implications For Rehabilitation Services, Nan Zhang Hampton, Vickie Chang

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

We hypothesized that Chinese Americans with disabilities may remain culturally attached to their ancestors' homeland and this cultural attachment may have influences on the concept of Quality of Life (QOL). That is, QOL may be perceived, by Chinese Americans with disabilities, not only as an individual's satisfaction with his or her life, but also the person's fulfillment of his or her responsibilities to his or her family and community. Of course, this hypothesis needs to be examined. Such an investigation may provide rehabilitation counselors with insights into the meaning of QOL from the viewpoint of Chinese Americans with disabilities. It …

Research To Practice: Postsecondary Education As A Critical Step Toward Meaningful Employment: Vocational Rehabilitation's Role, Dana Scott Gilmore, Jennifer Bose, Debra Hart

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Research shows that access to postsecondary education makes an enormous difference in the employability of people with disabilities. This brief focuses on the rehabilitation outcomes of people who received education supports from Vocational Rehabilitation agencies.

Research To Practice: National Day And Employment Service Trends In Mr/Dd Agencies, Danielle Dreilinger, Dana Scott Gilmore, John Butterworth

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

To what extent have changes in philosophy translated into changes for state agencies and the people they serve? This brief analyzes MR/DD agencies' day and employment service trends from 1988 to 1999 and discusses relevant trends in policy and legislation.

Research To Practice: Effective Customer Service Delivery In Employment Support: Finding A Common Ground Between Guided And Self-Directed Service Delivery, Institute For Community Inclusion, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

An ICI study analyzed the experiences of individuals who successfully found jobs through agencies and discovered five characteristics of effective employment services. This brief describes guided and self-directed approaches and provides recommendations for agency staff.

Driving In Massachusetts: When To Stop And Who Should Decide?, Nina M. Silverstein, Jenai Murtha

Gerontology Institute Publications

The purpose of this exploratory research was to assess three stakeholders’ perceptions of the locus of responsibility for driving cessation and identify the criteria that should be included in that decision. The stakeholder groups studied were law enforcement officers, physicians, and the general public age 50 years and older. Defining areas of agreement and disagreement across stakeholders will be valuable for informing policy makers who may be considering statewide or national initiatives. Findings will also be useful for public information and training.

Editor's Note, Padraig O'Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

The editor speaks about the political unrest with the 2000 presidential election. He also speaks about the war in Angola. He speaks about the civi duty we have to mankind across the globe and the government's influence on other countries.

The Economic Impact Of Affordable Housing: Multifamily Housing In Massachusetts, Zenia Kotval

New England Journal of Public Policy

The Massachusetts housing industry has come under some scrutiny over the past ten years. Issues of supply, demand, affordability, housing discrimination, and economic impacts are of increasing interest to government officials, planners, developers, and bankers. Despite an increasing need to provide affordable housing for the various populations within the state, there is a decrease in the supply of multifamily rental housing. There have been few efforts that comprehensively measure the impact of the housing industry on the economy. This article surveys the need for affordable housing and the economic impacts of multifamily rental housing in the state. The premise is …

An Effective Compromise: Class-Based Affirmative Action In Boston Schools, Gabriel O'Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

The author seeks to shift the traditional focus of the affirmative action debate from race to class. With the Boston Latin School as an example, he argues that, under certain circumstances, a shift in an admission policy based on preferences from race to class will maintain academic standards while increasing minority representation; it will also expand opportunity for economically underprivileged youths who have succeeded academically despite the obstacles they face. A focus on class rather than race offers both sides of the affirmative action debate a philosophy that can be reconciled with their views on race-based affirmative action. In certain …

Human Rights And Business Ethics: Fashioning A New Social Contract, Wesley Cragg

New England Journal of Public Policy

The author speaks about the social contract which is a general understanding of respective responsibilities in complex societies and traces its impact from the Declaration of Independence to more recent times.

Marine Industries Association Of South Florida Master Plan, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Fau Joint Center For Environmental And Urban Problems

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Marine Industry Master Plan was prepared by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF) to present a comprehensive and coordinated action agenda for retaining and expanding the marine industry in Broward County. This Master Plan is an extension of a strategic planning process conducted by the MIASF in which the major issues confronting the industry were identified along with an initial strategy to address those issues. This Marine Master Plan is part of that strategy. The plan contains goals, objectives, and actions that respond to several key issues: scarcity of waterfront sites for marine facility expansion, displacement of …