Stakeholder perceptions of an effective CIL

Abstract

This paper presents the methods and findings of a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Independent Living Management (RRTC-ILM) study which identifies the profile of an effective center for independent living (CIL) as seen by CIL stakeholders, with a focus on structural elements and expected outcomes. This study represents an initial phase of a larger RRTC-ILM project that seeks to identify CIL management practices with a view toward helping the centers identify training needs. Five hundred and eighty-eight (588) stakeholders participated in the study representing CIL board members, executive directors, staff, volunteers, consumers and funders. Their responses, collected in focus groups and via telephone interviews, were subjected to qualitative content analysis. Findings include nine management categories into which stakeholder-perceived elements clustered. Consumer Involvement emerged as a category distinct to CILs and showed the importance of consumer control in the organization. Outcomes found to be important to stakeholders were congruent with the management categories that were important to them.