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QualityMall.org is a Web site offering individuals with disabilities, families, service providers, and others a wide range of free information about consumer-directed and other person-centered supports. Its primary purpose is to collect and share information from around the country and abroad that is related to or useful in promoting quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities. It is not a seller of products or services, but uses the metaphor of a shopping mall to help connect visitors to the best resources available.
In its 20 “stores” and 85 “departments” (meaning its broad and specific topic areas) it offers nearly 1000 different resources. For those interested in consumer-directed supports, the first stop should be the Person-Directed Services Store, where “departments” include Consumer-Directed Budgets and Supports (35 resources), Person-Centered Planning (48 resources), and Self-Determination (69 resources). In another area, the Self-Advocacy Store, are resources that support efforts to promote individual and group empowerment. In the Service Provider Store, there are resources that offer suggestions and provide checklists to help people select services and service providers that best fit their specific needs and expectations. And the Community Center has resources on friendship and inclusion, recreation and leisure, sexuality, and travel and vacation.
QualityMall.org was developed by the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration, the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, and Human Services Research Institute (HSRI), with funding from the federal Administration on Developmental Disabilities. The “mall” is a metaphor with two meanings: the idea of a single place where you can find just about anything you are looking for, and a public gathering place that includes everyone. And that is what QualityMall.org is.Previous Article / Next
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Retrieved from the Web site of the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota (http://ici.umn.edu). Citation: Gaylord, V., Moseley, C., Lakin, C. & Hewitt, A. (Eds.) (2004). Impact: Feature Issue on Consumer-Controlled Budgets and Persons with Disabilities 17(1). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration. Available from http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/171.
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