The relationship of health and safety of individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities and the size of their residential facilities in Ohio

Individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities and their families have chosen living arrangements in small, community-based settings rather than larger traditional facilities in increased numbers in recent years. The purpose of this study was to obtain and analyze previously unexamined information concerning the health and safety factors of those individuals related to the size of the residential facilities in which they lived. A secondary purpose was to identify recommendations for public policy related to facility size and individual health and safety.

Statutorily mandated public domain information reported on Major Unusual Incidents (MUI) occurrences involving individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities during a four-year period in Ohio was gathered and analyzed. From examination of these data, it was found that MUI occurred with greater than expected frequency in small facilities and with less than expected frequency in large facilities. Certain types of MUI also occurred more frequently than expected.

The researcher concluded that public policy should increasingly address health and safety issues regardless of the size of individual living arrangements, particularly in light of the acceleration in the rate of movement of individuals to smaller living settings.