A Critical View of the Administration of Florida's Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled

Date of Award

2004

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Hernandez, Sarah

Keywords

ICF, DDs, Institutionalization, Developmental Disabilities, Long Term Care, Florida Disability Policy, Facilities, Street-Level Bureaucracy

Area of Concentration

Sociology

Abstract

Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled (ICF/DDs) are one of the housing options along a continuum of care and services for the developmentally disabled in the state of Florida. These long-term care institutions provide necessary twenty-four hour medical care, and active treatment, in a diverse range of facilities throughout the state. This thesis examines the role of state-mandated, private sector administrators in these facilities. Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucrats is reviewed, in hopes of defining the role of these administrators. Data were collected in hour-long qualitative interviews with six administrators, and contrasted with some contemporary academic work in the fields of disability issues, sociology and gerontology. Terminology such as normalization, deinsititutionalization, community-based service and quality of life is applied and discussed. In my efforts to define these administrators as street-level bureaucrats, whose practice of discretion may contribute to real-world implications on policy, it is revealed that the administrators actually operate as bureaucratic managers whose tasks are strictly confined by necessary administrative codes and fiscal challenges.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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