People with Disabilities

People who live with disabilities make up a large, diverse population that is growing and changing. Federal regulations, workforce shortages, and a complex web of state-funded services create the need for data-driven decision-making to ensure services and decision-makers respond to people’s needs.

The Improve Group has more than a decade of experience working with providers, schools, state agencies, and advocates to break down societal barriers and ensure people with disabilities can live the lives they choose. We take a person-centered approach to these projects, looking at how systems and services can change to remove societal barriers and adapting our approach to make it accessible. Our techniques and strategies for engagement draw on our understanding of this field—such as the regulatory context and workforce shortages—to work effectively. From visiting every county in Minnesota for the Department of Human Services to engaging more than 2,000 Minnesotans with disabilities for the Olmstead Quality of Life Survey, we understand the importance of clear communication, community-responsiveness, and the vast differences among stakeholders, such as between large and small service providers or living with a disability in rural versus urban Minnesota.