This Needs and Resource Assessment was conducted by the Ohio Legal Rights Service (OLRS) under a grant from the Brain Injury Advisory Committee of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission. Results will be used by the Brain Injury Advisory Committee and the Brain Injury Association of Ohio (BIAOH) for long term planning.
In February, March and April, 2005, OLRS staff developed and tested its Needs and Resource Assessment tools; created databases for the individual and family Needs Assessment survey, and the provider Needs Assessment survey; and created and tested the web based survey forms that populate both databases. Both Needs Assessment surveys were available on secure pages of OLRS' web site. The individual and family Needs Assessment survey web page was publicized on the OLRS home page [http://olrs.ohio.gov], and the Brain Injury Association of Ohio (BIAOH) website [http://www.biaoh.org], and through emails that provided the link. The provider Needs Assessment survey was an unpublished link given to providers. When respondents completed surveys and submitted them, encrypted information was electronically transferred to OLRS' server and auto-populated the appropriate database.
Surveys were accepted from May through August 2005. Both web surveys were removed from the OLRS website when the data gathering phase of this project was completed. Content of the web pages that had formerly hosted the surveys was changed to note that Needs Assessment survey data was being analyzed and results would be forthcoming. In this manner, web visitors who wished to complete a survey after it was removed and those who had bookmarked either page would receive information about the project's status and would not hit a dead web link.
In addition, both Needs Assessment surveys were available for completion on paper. OLRS included postage paid return envelopes for individuals with brain injury (BI) and family members. On receipt of returned paper surveys, OLRS staff entered each into the appropriate database. OLRS' Administrator of the web server and databases monitored introduction of the surveys for quality assurance, analyzed data, provided regular reports to staff, and provided interim and final analysis of quantitative and qualitative data that was given to RSC's Advisory Council and BIAOH.
OLRS staff wrote its report from September 2005 through March 2006. Preliminary results were given to three critical stakeholders in early December with a cover letter soliciting comments. Comments were incorporated in subsequent draft reports. An Interim Report was presented to RSC's Advisory Council and BIAOH in February, 2006. This Final Report was presented March 2006.
Because Ohio is planning for the future of individuals with BI and their families, it was important to OLRS to capture information that would give as full a picture as possible of people's daily lives, and what is working so these supports can continue, and what can be improved.
OLRS staff reviewed the "Traumatic Brain Injury Needs and Resources Assessment" surveys developed by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and designed in 1999 to help states gather data. OLRS staff modified HRSA's three surveys: for individuals/family members, for providers, and for state agencies. OLRS staff's intent was to develop Assessment tools that met the needs of Ohio's project while using content from HRSA's tool designed in 1999.
OLRS staff made significant changes to the Needs Assessment for individuals and families. Primary changes made to this survey tool were to:
OLRS believed that people with brain injuries and their families should be the primary source of information. The introductory header for the survey for individuals and families read:
"The State of Ohio is looking at the needs of Ohioans with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). This is a first step to developing a plan to improve services for survivors of TBI. Our best information comes from those individuals who have a TBI and their family members, because they know what it is like to live with this disability. Please complete this survey if you live in Ohio and are a person with TBI or a family member. Your answers will help shape the future of Ohio TBI services and supports."
HRSA's Needs Assessment survey for providers was also modified to include the same list of services contained in the survey for individuals and their families, and streamlined to enhance simplicity and readability in order to maximize completion rates.
OLRS obtained assistance for dissemination of both surveys from the Brain Injury Association of Ohio and the Brain Injury Advisory Committee. Outreach to individuals and their families was accomplished through the BIAOH member listserv, and by paper mailings.
Sent out via email: 239
Sent out via postal mail: 1307
Sent to all active support groups: 490
Total sent to individuals/families: 2,036
Surveys received through the mail: 416
Surveys received through the web form: 106
Total surveys received from individuals/families included in the database: 522
Providers were sought through email. Requests to complete the survey were sent to County Boards of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, and Area Agencies on Aging, Alcohol, and Drug Addiction/Mental Health Boards. In addition, OLRS mailed 1,000 surveys through regular post to providers that BIAOH identified through its database. OLRS received 143 completed provider surveys.
In order to increase the voices of families with minor children and individuals living in a nursing facility in planning for Ohio's future, OLRS held separate forums. The results of the Needs Assessment survey for individuals with BI and families included nominal representation of these two groups. A third forum was held with individuals with brain injuries who live alone or with their families. Feedback from individuals who participated in these three forums is reflected in this report.