Secretary of state audit: Developmental disabilities agency has improved, but more work needed

Salem, OR – An audit released Wednesday by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Audits Division finds the Office of Developmental Disabilities Services within the Oregon Department of Human Services is proactively addressing concerns and challenges to improve and enhance services to Oregonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (often abbreviated as I/DD).   

The audit looked at ODDS’ strategic planning, complaint handling process, and stakeholder outreach.  Auditors found the office has a vision, goals, and strategies in place to make the developmental disability system easy to access, navigate, and support self-determination and personal choice for individuals receiving services.  

“ODDS does incredibly important work and I appreciate how well they’re providing services to Oregonians,” said Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. “Every day, ODDS is empowering people to live their lives in the way that’s best for them.” 

While much progress has been made, auditors identified two areas in need of improvement. The ODDS complaint process is not streamlined, is being used for multiple purposes outside of what is intended and is not promoted as a communication and feedback tool for individuals receiving services. Additionally, ODDS has not effectively reached out to historically underserved populations in the state, such as African American, Asian, and Latino communities. Current methods, such as email subscriptions and virtual meetings, are not reaching those who do not have access to or the ability to use the required technology.  

The audit makes six recommendations to the Oregon Department of Human Services to improve the complaint handling process and stakeholder outreach.   

Read the full report on the Secretary of State website.

Note: To ensure access for all, the Oregon Audits Division is publishing a version of this report which has been re-formatted to be more accessible to screen reader software.

The Audits Division would like feedback on this version to inform the new formatting standards for our future reports. Any comments may be sent to Laura.Kerns@oregon.gov. We appreciate the opportunity to learn more and thank in advance those individuals who are able to help.