Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Project Child Health Impact Assessment, Unyi Agba, Kristina Chung, David Diehl, Marisol Olivera, Yolanda Perez

Emerging Leaders Program Team Projects

The 2005 Project Child Health Impact Assessment (CHIA) at the Boston Medical Center (BMC) for the UMass Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) is closely related to one that members of the 2004 ELP cohort assisted with. The 2004 project team provided BMC with preliminary research regarding similar concepts in Europe, Canada and the United States. With this research in hand, the Project CHIA team at BMC decided to research, develop, write and publish pilot analyses that illustrated the impact of public policy on children's health. The 2005 ELP team was asked to provide guidance regarding a communications strategy for these pilot …

Brief 19: The Dean’S Role In Faculty Evaluation, New England Resource Center For Higher Education, University Of Massachusetts Boston

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

Faculty work continues to change in response to the increased emphases on diversity requirements in undergraduate education, partnerships between academic and student affairs, and computer technology (O’Meara, et al, 2003). As even more is learned about strategies for the educational success of their students, faculty will be counted on to tailor their skills and pedagogies to new populations of students. At the same time, colleges and universities must keep pace with these changes by ensuring that expectations about faculty work are clearly defined and are reflected in evaluation and reward structures—and that faculty are supported in their efforts. The quality …

Research To Practice: Diabetes And Vocational Rehabilitation Employment Services And Outcomes, Jonathan Woodring, Susan Foley

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Approximately 18 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. This brief uses Rehabilitation Services Administration data to provide a picture of people with diabetes using the Vocational Rehabilitation system.

Boston Harbor Islands Renewables Planning Guide, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Island Alliance

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This document presents a summary of findings and recommendations from a predevelopment study of the feasibility of establishing renewable energy power generation on several of the grid-tied Boston Harbor Islands. The scope of the study was to investigate the factors and issues associated with installing a mix of renewables — wind, solar, wave and tidal/current power generating facilities — with a combined output of between one and ten megawatts at sites on or around five of the Boston Harbor Islands. Four of these islands are presently grid-tied: Long Island, Moon Island, Spectacle Island, and Thompson Island. A fifth island, Peddocks …

Active Aging: Motives And Barriers, Francis G. Caro, Eilon Caspi, Jeffery Burr, Jan Mutchler

Gerontology Institute Publications

Both the successful aging and productive aging literatures attach great importance to activity. In the successful aging paradigm, activity contributes positively to both physical health and psychological well being. In the productive aging paradigm, older people make contributions to society through certain types of activities, notably gainful employment, community service volunteering, informal assistance usually within their families, and political participation.

Less attention has been given to the relationships among various forms of productive activity. Various forms of activity may be complementary or competitive. In other words, participation in one form of productive activity may open doors to other forms of …

The Social And Economic Costs Of Employee Misclassification In The Maine Construction Industry, Françoise Carré, Randall Wilson

Center for Social Policy Publications

With this study, a cross disciplinary team of the Center for Construction Policy Research has taken a first and significant step in documenting employee misclassification in the Maine construction industry. This report documents the dimensions of misclassification and its implications for tax collection and worker compensation insurance.

Misclassification occurs when employers treat workers who would otherwise be waged or salaried employees as independent contractors (self employed). Or as one report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Labor put it, misclassification occurs “when workers (who should be) getting W-2 forms for income tax filing instead receive 1099-Miscellaneous Income forms."

Massworks: Developing Community Partnerships To Reach Underserved Diverse Populations, Institute For Community Inclusion, University Of Massachusetts Boston

MassWorks Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This issue of MassWorks highlights an innovative approach to enhancing services for individuals from diverse communities. The high unemployment rate and barriers to employment experienced by people with disabilities are well documented. For people from diverse communities, these barriers are compounded by factors such as language, cultural norms regarding work and disability, and difficulty accessing services. Community partnerships can provide a unique opportunity to improve services for individuals from diverse racial, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds.

Research To Practice: Job Networking In Diverse Communities, Rooshey Hasnain, Jennifer Bose, Joy Gould, John Butterworth

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

While individuals with disabilities face many obstacles when seeking employment, there are usually additional challenges for those from diverse cultures. To address this issue, ICI formed partnerships with community immigrant organizations to teach networking techniques to job seekers.

Transitions At Dta: Homeless Pilot Programs At The Massachusetts Department Of Transitional Assistance (2003-2005), John Mcgah, Amy Carlin

Center for Social Policy Publications

Towards the end of fiscal year 2004, the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), the state’s welfare department, initiated eight pilot programs to better serve homeless families, to end the state’s reliance on placing families in hotels/motels, and to enable families living in motels to move into stable housing as quickly as possible. These initiatives were created in reaction to the unacceptably high number of motel placements of homeless families (about 600 in 2003). Motels do provide a needed alternative when emergency shelters are full, but they are a political, fiscal and moral liability. In 2004, DTA, in partnership with …

Partners In Prevention: Community-Wide Homelessness Prevention In Massachusetts And The United States, Donna H. Friedman, John Mcgah, Julia Tripp, Michelle Kahan, Nicole Witherbee, Amy Carlin

Center for Social Policy Publications

A central objective of the Homelessness Prevention Initiative (HPI) is to generate information for state policymakers on viable statewide approaches for investing in homelessness prevention. Therefore, to contextualize the policy relevance of HPI evaluation findings and to add to the strength of recommendations, the evaluation team has systematically explored examples of community-wide homelessness prevention efforts already underway in Massachusetts and in other parts of the country.

We selected communities that met the following criteria:

• The prevention network included an entire county, city, region or state.
• Cross-organizational resource-sharing, policies and interventions were in place.
• The collaboration engaged in primary prevention, that …

Residential Adjustments Of Elders: Perspectives Of Elders And Their Adult Children, Alison S. Gottlieb, Elizabeth Johns, Francis G. Caro

Gerontology Institute Publications

While elders tend to prefer to “age in place,” they often have reason to consider residential alternatives. Declining health and loss of social supports invite elders to consider modifying their homes or moving to other settings that are less demanding and more supportive. Residential adjustments of elders are often a family issue. Among middle-aged adults, worry about the safety of aging parents in their residential environments is widespread. Also common is frustration among adult children about their difficulties in persuading parents to make recommended residential adjustments.

We conducted a qualitative study on residential decision-making based on focus groups and qualitative …

“As Tough As It Gets”: Women In Boston Politics, 1921-2004, Kristen A. Petersen, Carol Hardy-Fanta Phd, Karla Armenoff

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

This study seeks to answer the question: Given the wealth of talent and resources women possess—and the state offers—why is it so tough for women to gain representation in Boston City Hall? To answer this question, and to document the efforts women have made over almost 100 years, we examine the history of women who have run for and won—or lost—election to the Boston City Council in the 20th century. How does the structure and culture of a given urban political arena (i.e., “Boston politics”) affect women’s opportunities as elected officials? What is women’s political culture and how has it …

Women In Prison In Massachusetts: Maintaining Family Connections, Erika Kates, Paige Ransford, Carol Cardozo

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

This report first provides an overview of the statistical data on women in prisons in the U.S. over the past two decades. It pays particular attention to the literature on the effects of mothers' incarceration on their children and the gradual recognition of the emotional, economic, and legal consequences for families when parents, especially mothers, are incarcerated. When viewed in this broad context it becomes clear that the concerns and challenges families face extend beyond the perimeters of a single agency or policy area. We then present the comprehensive Family Connections Policy Framework we created for assessing the status of …

Promoting Safe Mobility Among Elders By Increasing Awareness Of Vehicle Modifications (Executive Summary), Elizabeth Van Ranst, Nina M. Silverstein, Alison S. Gottlieb

Gerontology Institute Publications

This research project looks at one strategy to address the safety of older drivers, vehicular modifications. Specifically, a video demonstrating low-tech, low-cost features that may alleviate some driving challenges was produced to determine whether viewing the video would increase awareness of and motivation to use those features. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Transtheoretical Model of intentional behavioral change provides the theoretical framework for this study. This model posits five stages of change, a continuum over which the individual becomes more receptive to taking action.

Motivation For Active Aging: Results Of A Pilot Study, Francis G. Caro, Laney Bruner-Canhoto, Jeffery Burr, Jan Mutchler

Gerontology Institute Publications

The current research explores the question whether activity on the part of older people can be explained, in part, by a general motivation to be active that cuts across various forms of activity. One premise is that motivation defined as “personal interest or desire” is one of a number of forces that contributes to participation in an activity. A further premise is that a distinction may be made between motivation that is specific to a particular activity and general motivation to be active. A general motive to be active may help to explain specific forms of activity. Further, a general …

Looking Back Without Anger: Reflections On The Boston School Crisis, Robert Wood

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article is taken from the unpublished autobiography of Robert Wood who served as Superintendent of Boston Public Schools from 1978 to 1980 during the difficult period when U.S. District Court Judge W. Arthur Garrity was overseeing court ordered desegregation of schools. After leaving the University of Massachusetts in January 1978, Robert Wood spent six months at the Harvard Graduate School of Education working on a book and considering a possible run for the United States Senate. Suggestion as to his next assignment, however, came from an unexpected source, as he describes below.

Important Places, Shaun O'Connell

New England Journal of Public Policy

The author talks about his time and associations with the University of Massachusetts Boston. He also describes Ireland and his family's roots there and how it connects with Boston as well as his life in new York.

Climate Change In Metropolitan Boston, Paul Kirshen, Matthias Ruth, William Anderson

New England Journal of Public Policy

Even though urban infrastructure systems are important and are designed according to socioeconomic and environmental conditions that are very sensitive to climate, there have been few major integrated assessments of the impacts of climate change on metropolitan infrastructure systems and services and possible adaptations. An analysis of the Boston metro area found that adaptation actions taken before full climate-change impacts occur will result in fewer expected negative impacts to the region than waiting for major impacts to occur. Adaptation of infrastructure to climate change must also consider land use management, environmental and socioeconomic impacts, equity, and adaptation actors and institutions. …

Two Salutes To Robert C. Wood 1923–2005, Richard A. Hogarty, Marcy Murninghan

New England Journal of Public Policy

These two stories from the authors talk about their friendships and relationships with Robert Wood from the time they met him until his death.

Grinding Decline In Springfield: Is The Finance Control Board The Answer?, Robert Forrant

New England Journal of Public Policy

Springfield, Massachusetts, the Bay State’s third largest city, suffered staggering manufacturing job loss over the last thirty years of the twentieth century. In 2004, the financial impact of job loss, coupled with dubious fiscal management, plunged the city into near bankruptcy. In response, state government passed legislation appointing a Finance Control Board to manage city business. Wage freezes for City workers were continued and cuts in numerous essential services occurred to deal with the debt. But the question remains, can a Control Board approach grow a large stock of well-paying jobs — large enough to grow the city’s and the …

Thwarted Ambition: The Role Of Public Policy In University Development, Michael N. Bastedo

New England Journal of Public Policy

Paradoxically, Massachusetts is the home of a world-class system of private higher education and a struggling system of public higher education. The influence of private higher education and persistent indifference by state government repeatedly thwarted UMass’s ambition to increase its stature on the national scene. The result was a “boom or bust” cycle of financial support that made rational planning and institutional expansion extremely difficult, exacerbating the university’s late start toward world-class status.

Data Note: Ssa Work Incentives Enrollment, 1990-2004, Katherine Fichthorn, Dana Scott Gilmore

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

To encourage employment for individuals with disabilities, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers special provisions that limit the impact of work on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. These provisions are called work incentives and include the Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS), Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE), and Blind Work Expenses (BWE).

Data Note: Employment Outcomes For People With Diabetes In The Vocational Rehabilitation System, Jonathan Woodring, Susan Foley, Lauren Miller

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Approximately 18 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. Diabetes in and of itself does not necessarily qualify any given individual for disability services. However, for some individuals, diabetes can be serious enough or can lead to secondary conditions that enable them to qualify for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services.

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Underutilization Of One-Stops By People With Significant Disabilities, Doris Hamner, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) identifies individuals with disabilities as among the constituencies to be served by One-Stop Career Centers. Due to a variety of factors, including lack of an overall One-Stop data collection system, no clear way to identify disability in the system, and non-disclosure of disability by many customers, it is difficult to ascertain the exact level of One-Stop usage by people with disabilities. However, existing data sources and anecdotal evidence indicate that people with disabilities underutilize One-Stops. The number of people with disabilities that use One-Stops seems to be lower than what would be expected based on …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Levels Of Involvement Of State Vr Agencies With Other One-Stop Partners, Sheila Fesko, Doris Hamner

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) emphasizes coordination and collaboration for better service delivery between state departments of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and other One-Stop partners. Although WIA's requirements for VR participation are clear, the parameters of this partnership are flexible and depend on a variety of factors within each state and local system. Defining the role of VR has had its challenges, as is the case for many partners in the WIA system. However, there are numerous examples of VR agencies working creatively to establish effective partnerships that positively influence services for job seekers with disabilities in the One-Stop system. The …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Strategies For Maximizing Staff Competence When Supporting Job Seekers With Disabilities In One-Stop Career Centers, Allison Cohen Hall, Sheila Fesko

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Since states began implementing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, One-Stop Career Centers have had to address the challenges of serving all customers seeking services, including job seekers with disabilities. To meet this challenge, many local One-Stops have demonstrated commitment to and progress towards creating innovative practices that positively affect access for job seekers with disabilities in the workforce system. The following brief is offered as a tool for local workforce systems to help achieve meaningful employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities. This brief is part of a series of products offering practical solutions for Local Workforce Investment …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Tackling Fiscal Issues, Heike Boeltzig, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) established a network of One-Stop Career Centers by integrating different employment and training services into one comprehensive workforce investment system. Within this environment, One-Stop partners are mandated to collaborate to create a seamless service delivery system that enhances access to services and improves employment outcomes for all individuals, including those with disabilities. WIA's intent was to establish local workforce development systems that would respond to their areas' specific needs with unique solutions and creative partnerships. In addition to service delivery, WIA encourages One-Stop partners to share in the operating costs of the One-Stop …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Creative Involvement Of Community-Based Disability Organizations At One-Stop Career Centers, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Heike Boeltzig

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) facilitates partnerships among organizations for more coordinated service delivery to all job seekers. Although the state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency is the only disability agency or program that is a mandated partner under WIA, community-based disability organizations (CBOs) can also work with One-Stop Career Centers to enhance their capacity to support customers with disabilities. Through case study research, the Institute for Community Inclusion identified several models of involvement between CBOs and One-Stops. These models illustrate that organizations can be creative in developing their partner roles to meet the needs of both their staff and their …

Data Note: What Do Vocational Rehabilitation (Vr) Services Cost?, Institute For Community Inclusion, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The VR system has the flexibility to purchase a wide array of services to support an employment outcome, including vocational evaluation, vocational training and postsecondary education, transportation, supported employment, interpreters, and adaptive equipment. VR services include core counseling and guidance provided by a VR counselor as well as services that are purchased based on an individual employment plan.

Sailing Into A Strong Future: The Massachusetts Marine Science And Technology Industry, Clyde Barrow, Rebecca Loveland, David Terkla

Economics Faculty Publication Series

With its focus on high-technology, value-added markets, the Bay State’s marine science and technology cluster and its diverse range of companies keeps expanding into high-end markets.