The Supports Intensity Scale can be used to build robust funding methods for developmental disability services, new research reveals

New research by national experts, Jon Fortune and the late Gary Smith, reveals that SIS yields solid information about individuals with intellectual disabilities, and that the assessment information can be used to build robust funding methods.

AAIDD recently published four White Papers on the Supports Intensity Scale, including one on “Resource Allocation and the Supports Intensity Scale: Four Papers on Issues and Approaches” edited by SIS authors, Robert L. Schalock, James R. Thompson, and Marc J. Tassé. The White Paper begins with a discussion by Jon Fortune and the late Gary Smith on the importance of understanding the rationale and ethical issues involved in resource allocation, thus providing a framework for funding community services and supports with SIS. They conclude, “Experience thus far is that SIS in fact yields solid information about support needs that, in turn, can be employed in building funding applications.”

The White Paper also includes a summary of the work of Louisiana, Washington, and the Arduin Foundation in the Netherlands on developing funding models based on SIS assessment scores. To download “Resource Allocation and the Supports Intensity Scale: Four Papers on Issues and Approaches” click here.  To comment on the paper, visit the discussion board.