Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the family of Veterans who were self-directing and captures the viewpoints of caregivers of people with a wide variety of disabilities. It looks at self-direction through the eyes of family members who are supporting people with disabilities who are self-directing. The book also charts new territory and looks at some of the serious concerns people have voiced regarding self-direction. It discusses the importance of social workers. The book describes the partnership intervention and its results, and then serves as a vehicle to disseminate the materials and training modules developed by the nine social work programs.