Aging, Disability, and the Administration for Community Living
Almost 17% of the United States population is age 65 or older. In addition, about 20% of Americans live with a disability. Historically, older adults and people with disabilities often were relocated to facility care settings, even if they wished to remain in their prior home environments. This practice denied individuals the right to choose where, how, and with whom they wished to live.
Formed in 2012, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) supports an array of services that enable older adults and people with disabilities of all ages to live independently and engage fully in their communities. ACL houses the Administration on Aging and the Administration on Disabilities, supporting numerous federally funded initiatives. These initiatives include both Older Americans Act (OAA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) programming.
Evaluating Aging and Disability Programs
RTI International (RTI) was awarded the ACL Office of Performance and Evaluation Rapid Cycle Research and Evaluation contract in 2020. Since then, RTI has worked across ACL to evaluate aging and disability programs, ensuring that older adults and people with disabilities are served effectively.
RTI staff bring a wide variety of skills to the task, including:
- expertise in the fields of aging and disability programs and policies
- quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation methods
- data visualization and dissemination
Under this contract, RTI is completing dozens of unique aging and disability projects ranging in length from 3 months to multiple years. During each two-year performance period, ACL identifies topics of interest and statements of work. RTI responds with:
- Workplan development
- Completion of needed data collection and analysis
- Final reporting
