Milestones: A 35 Year History

The 1980s

In its second decade, the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community began to focus on new program development and systems change. While the developmental disabilities field as a whole shifted away from institutionalization, an emphasis on community membership across the life span emerged in the Institute's philosophy and work.

Indiana Resource Center for Autism

In 1981, the state of Indiana made an important commitment to the Institute when the Indiana Legislature appropriated funds to establish a statewide resource center on autism. Initially, the Indiana Resource Center for Autism focused on supporting the return of children with autism, who were residing in out-of-state facilities, to Indiana. Today, IRCA provides materials, training, research, and advocacy on behalf of people with autism spectrum disorders, their families, and those who support them.

School Integration

In 1985, the Indiana Institute again collaborated with the Indiana Department of Education, Division of Special Education to move secondary students with substantial disabilities into least restrictive environments. Starting with the publication of a position paper, A New Future for Children with Substantial Handicaps: The Second Wave of Least Restrictive Environment, the Institute assisted the Division in refocusing public school special education programs to emphasize integrated classes, functional curricula, and community-based training experiences for these students. The Community Integration Resource Group, now the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning, was founded as a result of this initiative.

Collaborative Work Lab

In the mid-1980s, the Institute began to investigate ways that computer technology could be applied to its technical assistance mission, particularly in the area of planning and policy development. In 1986, the Indiana Institute established what is now called the Collaborative Work Lab, a computer-based electronic meeting room for use by human service organizations.

Center for Aging Persons with Developmental Disabilities

With visions of a life span approach, the Indiana Institute in 1988 established a program that focused on aging persons with disabilities. The Center for Aging Persons with Developmental Disabilities, now the Center on Aging and Community, was created through funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the Indiana Legislature to provide research and training in the areas of health and functional wellness and community membership for aging persons with disabilities.

Peer Tutoring and School Restructuring

By the end of the 1980s, the Indiana Institute was playing a leadership role in the development of peer tutor programs throughout the state and stimulated consideration of special education restructuring in the context of general education reform.

Higher Education Consortium

As the number of integrated programs for students with disabilities increased throughout Indiana, in 1989 the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community played an integral part in the development of a higher education consortium designed to infuse information about least restrictive environment into teacher training programs. These training programs were developed to include instruction for the advocacy and implementation of best educational practices in public school classrooms serving students with severe disabilities.

Consumer Satisfaction Survey

In 1989, the Indiana Governor's Planning Council for People with Disabilities (GPC) asked the Institute to conduct a Consumer Satisfaction Survey and to facilitate development of Indiana's 1990 Report to Congress.

Return to the Indiana Institute History Page

This material is available in alternative formats upon request