Penetration Rates in Participant Direction 1. April 2016 Admin Client (0) We have long observed that there are different penetration, or utilization rates in participant direction across the country. We know there are many reasons for this: state program priorities, budgets and waivers for new services, impact of advocates, legislative politics, state leadership, But we also know that there are differences among populations who are served. In a recent international conference presentation Val Bradley, President of the Human Services Research Institute in Cambridge, MA, presented national data on penetration rates for participants with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Val stated that these rates have plateaued at 8% to 10% nationally. Looking at the data that PCG-Public Partnerships has collected from various states shows that the population with DD and IDD is usually in the single digits. In contrast, the penetration rates of those with disabilities and problems of aging are much higher -up to 40% to 45%. [More]