Functional Outcomes and Consumer Satisfaction in the Independent Living Program for Older Individuals Who Are Blind

To strengthen the various programs under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Congress added consumer satisfaction as an area of study for improving service delivery to the 1998 Amendments to the act (Workforce Investment Act, P.L. 105-220). More specifically, Section 12 (Evaluation) was amended to require the commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration to conduct studies in a variety of areas, including consumer satisfaction. As part of this process, the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Blindness and Low Vision at Mississippi State University (MSU) received funding from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) through the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to conduct a national consumer satisfaction survey of participants served by the Independent Living Program for Older Individuals Who Are Blind (Title VII-Chapter 2).