Feature Issue on Addiction and IDD

In the heart of Mississippi, we’re taking much effort to forge a path for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who face the often-overlooked challenge of addiction. The Prevention Includes Everyone (PIE) program, a pioneering initiative under The Arc of Mississippi, is not just an intervention—it's a movement reshaping perceptions and creating inclusive spaces in the realm of addiction prevention and treatment.

Our journey began with a project to move people from congregate settings to the community as part of Medicaid’s Money Follows the Person program. We knew the IDD population was grappling with addiction at alarming rates, and the support systems in place were sorely inadequate. This stark realization, unveiled a hidden crisis: addiction among individuals with disabilities was more pervasive than anyone had anticipated. Because of the lack of awareness, plans for moving people out of congregate settings have not included addiction prevention programs. A partnership between the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) and The Arc of Mississippi was forged with a mission to confront this reality head-on.

Inclusive Education and the Power of Awareness

At the core of PIE's strategy is education. The program engages special education students, their peers, and the broader community to foster an inclusive approach to learning about addiction. PIE produces whole-school assemblies across all grade levels. These are not ordinary gatherings; they are immersive experiences featuring motivational tools such as drunk goggles, freestyle rapping, and even elaborate mock car crashes in collaboration with state troopers and other stakeholders. Such dynamic presentation methods, including helicopters on occasion, leave an indelible mark on all students, regardless of their abilities.

Dwight Owens gives a Prevention Includes Everyone presentation.

The message is potent: addictive behaviors do not discriminate, and neither should prevention efforts. The educational arm of PIE has received powerful word-of-mouth endorsements, and there has been strong demand across Mississippi for these assemblies.

The IDD community is particularly vulnerable to exploitation, in part because so many people in this community deal with profound loneliness. It can drive individuals to make unwise decisions about substances, environments, and relationships as a form of solace. This is why PIE commits not only to educate, but also to empathize and empower.

Pioneering Approaches to Treatment

One of the most formidable challenges PIE confronts is the lack of evidence-based practices tailored to the intersection of disability and addiction. In response, PIE has become a champion of emerging best practices —innovative methods that, while not yet solidified by extensive research, show tremendous promise. These practices have been integrated into our program, ensuring that we provide the most effective and inclusive care possible.

During and after our assemblies, students often reach out to ask for help with addiction, either for themselves or a family member. One student with autism, inspired by our assembly, shared the struggles her mother faced with addiction, compounded by the challenges of living with an intellectual disability. Our team worked to find suitable treatment for her mother. Recently, we learned about another young girl who was being taken advantage of at home, and we worked to find treatment in that situation as well. Extending beyond awareness and education to provide real-world assistance to those in need is part of the program.

The Crisis of Support and the Imperative of Change

A critical shortage of community support personnel for the IDD population has heightened risks. PIE's efforts extend to addressing this crisis, and advocating for systemic change to ensure that individuals with IDD receive equitable treatment and support. This includes efforts to educate treatment professionals, educators, and families on other forms of addiction that plague people with IDD, including excessive use of social media. Our assemblies typically focus mostly on substance use disorder, but there is a general emphasis on mental health. In smaller group presentations, we talk about loneliness or the dangers of technology for addiction, or other topics. All of our speakers have disabilities, so our audiences may see me freestyle rapping in my wheelchair, for example, and I think it makes them think a little differently about people with disabilities.

Our Team: The Driving Forces Behind PIE

This work is supported by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health and the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Our team uses subject-matter experts with varied lived experiences with addiction, such as life-changing injuries due to their own past addiction, life-changing disability because someone else’s addiction injured them, expertise in counseling and addiction, or victims of violence because of substance abuse and mental illness. Often the team will take on the roles of assailant and victim during presentations and assemblies to drive the point home about the dangers of addiction.

Next Steps: Extending Our Reach

PIE's accomplishments include the establishment of pathways to treatment and heightened awareness of addiction risks, particularly for those transitioning from congregate settings to community living. We are present in faith-based communities, engaging with congregations to foster understanding and support. We extend our outreach to community centers, businesses, and any organization that requires our presence. Wherever there's a need for awareness, training, education, or advocacy, PIE is prepared to go, breaking barriers and creating a culture of care and prevention with no limits.

In June, we invited leaders of treatment facilities to have a discussion about the need for inclusive treatment. It is difficult to convince a treatment center to accept someone with intellectual disability, for example. They always claim not to have enough training. We’re trying to build relationships with these centers and bring them into our world so we can develop statewide protocols that will open up treatment to more people with disabilities.

A Call to Action: Learning from PIE's Experience

PIE’s journey offers valuable insights for families, service providers, and the broader community. The program demonstrates the power of inclusive education, the necessity of tailored treatment approaches for people with IDD, and the significant impact of advocacy. It is living proof that when communities come together, united by a commitment to inclusion and understanding, real change is possible.

The Future of Research and Resources

As we develop more best practices, we are hopeful that new research will be available to inform and refine these practices in our state and beyond. We also are dedicated to converting our empirical experiences into evidence that can guide future interventions.

Hope and Inclusion: The Whole PIE

Our program is more than its name; it’s a clear statement that no one, especially those within the IDD community, should be invisible or left behind in the fight against addiction. It embodies a message of hope and inclusion, a testament that every individual, regardless of their abilities, deserves the right to education, support, and treatment in facing the challenges of substance abuse and other addictions. As PIE continues to break ground and foster change, it invites us all—families, professionals, and communities—to join in creating a safer, more understanding world where prevention truly includes everyone.