Glossary of Terms

¦ A ¦ C ¦ D ¦ E ¦ G ¦ I ¦ O ¦ P ¦ R ¦ S ¦ T ¦ V

A

Activities of daily living (ADL) - The instructional area that addresses the daily tasks required to get along in life. They encompass a broad range of activities including personal hygiene, preparing meals, managing household chores, etc.

Advocate - A person who stands up for the interests or rights of another person. A person who stands up for his or her own rights or interests is a "self-advocate."

Alternate living arrangements (ALA) - Residences in the community are provided when available for individuals who can no longer live with their families. Residences are screened, funded, and licensed by the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). Residences may be available in many forms including apartments, duplexes, condominiums and single family homes. The following types of residential arrangements may be included:

  1. Skill Development Homes, which enable a person needing ongoing supervision to live with a care provider who provides a specific training program to meet personal care, social behavior and health needs;
  2. Group Homes, which are small congregate living arrangements shared by individuals who receive guidance and personalized training from full-time staff;
  3. Supervised Apartments, which are monitored by staff who visit daily and often live in the same residential complex;
  4. Supportive Living, in which people live in apartments without supervision on site but are offered needed services and on-call assistance;
  5. Independent Apartments, which provide monthly monitoring services and 24-hour emergency assistance.
  6. Appeal - A request by an authorized person within the established time frames for a review of a disputed decision of the DDD that involves eligibility, placement, or the provision of services.

C

Case Manager - The case manager is a member of the team who coordinates meetings with you and appropriate staff members.

Case Management - A DDD service for people with developmental disabilities who are eligible for services of the Division. Case managers assure that an individual has a plan of services tailored to meet his or her individual needs and abilities; finds, arranges and evaluates the needed services; and adjusts the services as the individual's needs change.

Community Integration - Living, working, socializing with people in community environments not designated solely for people with disabilities.

Community Services of DDD - DDD is composed of four regions. Each region is managed by an assistant regional director who is responsible for both the community programs and the developmental centers located in their regions. Oversight of all community programs within the region is done by the Regional Administrator.

D

Developmental Disability - Defined in New Jersey as any serious disability that occurs before age 22 and means that a person is going to have serious difficulties in at least three of the following areas: self-care, language, learning, mobility, self-direction and independent living. The disability has to be serious enough to require special services for life or for a long time.

Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) - A New Jersey State agency within the Department of Human Services (DHS). It is the lead provider of services to assist people with developmental disabilities. The Division offers family support, community services, case management, residential and day programs, and guardianship.

E

Evaluation Plan - The evaluation plan is a written plan that will be used to decide if your child is eligible for special education. This plan must include the name of the case manager, the specific information to be collected, the assessments to be performed, the evaluation procedures to be used and the language (or method of communication) to be used in the evaluation. The requirement for an evaluation plan applies only to the districts participating in the Plan to Revise Special Education. Your consent is required before the first assessment by the child study team can begin.

G

Goal - A major end toward which the activities of an Individualized Plan are directed, as opposed to an "objective," which refers to the various specific landmarks that have to be passed to meet a goal. A goal might be to use the telephone to call home. An objective related to this goal might be to recognize the numbers 1-9.

Group Home - A small congregate living arrangement shared by individuals who receive guidance and personalized training from full-time staff.

Guardian - A person or agency appointed by a court to make personal decisions for a person who is incapable of making the decisions independently. Relatives, parents, friends, or certain agencies (i.e. PLAN/NJ) can be appointed guardians by the courts.

Guardianship - A legal relationship; a method by which the law deals with the issues of mental incompetence and consent. A court determines if the person in question has complete or partial mental competence. If the court finds the person has partial competence or complete incompetence (the finding is called an adjudication), a competent person (a guardian) is empowered to give or withhold consent on behalf of the adjudicated person (the ward).

Guardianship of the Estate - A legal arrangement in which a person (the guardian) has authority to give or withhold consent on behalf of another (the ward) in decisions relating to the ward's financial matters.

Guardianship of the Person - A legal arrangement in which a person (the guardian) has authority to give or withhold consent on behalf of another (the ward) in decisions relating to the ward's choices of where to live and where to work, among other personal choices.

  1. Limited Guardianship - A situation in which a court recognizes that a person (the ward) has partial mental competence in one or more areas of decision-making and can thereby consent to some kinds of decisions. The court gives the guardian authority to give consent on the ward's behalf only in those areas in which the ward is determined mentally incompetent. The court specifies the scope and extent of the guardian's authority. Sometimes referred to as partial guardianship.
  2. Natural Guardian - The parent(s) of a child who is under 18 years of age are "natural guardians."
  3. Permanent Guardianship - A situation in which the court subjects a ward to guardianship for an indefinite period. The guardianship remains in effect until someone successfully petitions a court to remove it. There can be a temporary or interim guardianship - one for only a limited period of time.
  4. Plenary Guardianship - A situation in which a court gives the guardian full, complete and unlimited authority to act on the ward's behalf (for all matters, personal and financial). The guardian is a "substitute decision maker."

I

Inclusion - The idea that persons with developmental disabilities should be included in community places and activities, not segregated in special places like institutions.

Individualized Education Plan, Individualized Habilitation Plan, Individualized Service Plan, Individualized Rehabilitation Plan (IEP, IHP, ISP, IRP, etc.) - A formal written program plan, reviewed and revised annually to ensure the individual receives the services required based on his/her assessed needs. Interdisciplinary - Characterized by a variety of disciplines that participate in the assessment, planning, and/or implementation of a person's program. There must be close interaction and integration among the disciplines to ensure that all members of the team interact to achieve team goals.

Intellectual disability - Intellectual disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills. This disability originates before the age of 18.

O

Objective - A specific landmark that has to be passed to achieve a goal. A goal might be to use the telephone to call home. An objective related to this goal might be to recognize the numbers 1-9.

Occupational Therapy (OT) - A special therapy that uses work, play and ordinary daily activities to help people become more independent and develop skills to help them live more satisfying lives.

Outcome - Result or end point of care or status achieved by a defined point following delivery of services.

P

Physical Therapy (PT) - A special therapy that uses movement, massage, exercise and other methods to prevent or minimize physical disability.

R

Reasonable accommodations - Modifications or adjustments that assist the person served or staff members to access benefits and privileges that are equal to those that are enjoyed by others. Examples taken from the Americans with Disabilities Act include making existing facilities readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities; restructuring jobs; modifying work schedules; reassigning people to vacant positions; acquiring or modifying equipment or assistive devices; adjusting or modifying examinations, training materials; policies, and procedures; and providing qualified readers or interpreters. Related Services - Related services are services that children with educational disabilities require to benefit from their education programs. These may include the following: counseling of the child, counseling or training of the parents about the educational needs of their child, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, transportation or recreation, as well as other appropriate services which the child needs to benefit from education as required by his/her IEP.

S

Supervised Apartment - An alternative living arrangement in which people with disabilities live in apartments and are monitored by staff who visit daily and sometimes live in the same residential complex.

Supports - Individuals significant to a person served and/or activities, materials, equipment, or other services designed and implemented to assist the person served. Examples include instruction, training, assistive technology, and/or removal of architectural barriers.

Supported Employment - Vocational option in which people with developmental disabilities work in community settings with different degrees of assistance provided by adult service agencies/organizations. Supportive employment may make use of job coaches, work groups and enclave work settings.

Supportive Living - An alternative living arrangement in which people live in apartments without supervision on site but are offered needed services and on-call assistance.

T

Team - At a minimum, the person served and the primary personnel directly involved in the participatory process of defining, refining, and meeting the person's goals. The team may also include other significant persons such as employers, family members, and/or peers, at the option of the person served and the organization.

Transitional IHP - An IHP written at least 30 days prior to transferring a person to a new living situation; a description should be included of how the move will be handled.

Transition - The process of moving from education services to adult services, including living and working in the community. Or, the period of time and the steps involved in transferring a person to a new living situation.

V

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) - Programs operating in each state that receive federal funds authorized under the Rehabilitation Act. The goals of the Act are to train and support people with disabilities in finding and keeping jobs, preferably in competitive employment. Services provided by the VR include vocational counseling and evaluation, vocational training, job placement services, and other vocationally beneficial services. To qualify for a VR program, the person's disability must be a significant functional impairment to employment and there must be reasonable expectations that the service will enhance the individual's employability. Determination of eligibility for VR is done case by case.