Tasks Planned for July 2026 Through December 2027
| Member | Project | Project Description |
|---|---|---|
The Arc of Illinois | ||
| Family Support and Preparation | Launch a coordinated statewide PUNS education and outreach campaign through each partner's existing networks, using plain-language, culturally responsive materials that reach families who have historically been left out of the information they need. | |
| Develop a shared family outreach and testimony infrastructure - building a network of families across the state who are willing to share their experiences with legislators and the public. | ||
| Legislative Education | Begin joint legislator education meetings as a coalition - presenting together, combining family stories, provider experience, and research in a single, unified message about the urgency of the transition gap. | |
| Legislative Policy | Identify and agree on a coalition legislative priority on what the landscape review reveals and what our partners collectively believe has the best chance of advancing meaningful change. | |
Center for Developmental Disabilities Advocacy and Community Supports | ||
| Best Practices Research | Comprehensive regulatory workflow mapping across DDD, BALC, BQM, DRS, HFS, and IDPH, the knowledge and access assessment, and the related provider focus groups and regulatory conflict inventory were not completed during the initial grant | |
| IARF | ||
| Data Dashboards | Complete data-sharing agreement negotiations with the Division of Developmental Disabilities, either through the primary licensing pathway or through the Service, Inc. operational alternative | |
| Finalize data ingestion protocols and quality audit procedures for de-identified ISC data, standardizing key variables including demographics, PUNS status, service utilization, living arrangement, and unmet needs indicators | ||
| Design, build, and deploy a public dashboard platform displaying key system indicators: PUNS wait times, service utilization rates, provider capacity metrics, workforce data, and demographic breakdowns disaggregated by race/ethnicity, geography, and living situation | ||
| Produce a pilot snapshot analysis and present it to the Division to demonstrate the utility of the dashboard and solicit Division input on preferred indicators and analyses | ||
| Illinois Living Options Website | Maintain and update the Illinois Living Options website with current provider information, regulatory changes, and new resources as they become available throughout Years 2 and 3 | |
| Coordinate with the Arc of Illinois on the IDD Navigator redesign to identify integration points, shared content standards, and a timeline for merging Living Options content into the Navigator platform | ||
| Conduct periodic content audits to ensure information accuracy, accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA), and alignment with current Illinois IDD policy and regulatory requirements | ||
| Develop analytics tracking to document website utilization, geographic distribution of visitors, and most-accessed resources for reporting to the Coleman Foundation | ||
| Living Options Expos | Secure venues, negotiate contracts, and confirm logistics for six Year 2 Expo locations (Jacksonville, Chicago State, Peoria, Charleston, Aurora, Marion) and initiate planning for six additional Year 3 locations | |
| Recruit and coordinate stakeholder participation across all fifteen zones at each location, including ISC agencies, state and federal agencies, advocacy organizations, service providers, legal and financial professionals, self-advocates, and education/transition specialists | ||
| Execute region-specific marketing and outreach campaigns beginning eight to ten weeks prior to each event, encompassing ISC caseload notifications, school district outreach, media buys, legislative engagement, and community-level provider outreach | ||
| Produce all Expo materials including resource binders, regional provider directories, floor maps, Next Steps checklists, feedback forms, and multilingual resources (English/Spanish at all locations; additional languages at Chicago and Aurora) | ||
| Conduct post-Expo follow-up within two weeks of each event: connect families to ISC enrollment, compile needs-assessment survey data, and produce a summary report for each location | ||
The Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities | ||
| CTP Incubator and Expansion | Continued Expansion of CTP programs in Illinois leading to increased opportunity for people with IDD (focus: colleges and individuals) | |
| Formalize the Illinois Post-Secondary Alliance to be self-sustaining to grow college offering in Illinois (focus: state system) | ||
| Dignity In Pay | Community of Practice or Advisory Committee of providers related to implementation efforts of DIP | |
| Behavioral Health Clinic | Continue to expand family and consumer awareness regarding access to BHC resources | |
| Facilitate expansion of BHC network | ||
| Gather BHC utilization and impact data and summarize impact on people with IDD and community system overall | ||
| Community Provider Education and Preparation for Alternate Payer Models | Prepare Illinois IDD Provider community for emerging practices, models and acumen that are impacting the IDD industry | |
| Improve and expand options for young adults seeking community residential and other services from community providers | ||
| Increase understanding of best practices in the transition from children’s residential to adult residential services. | ||
| University of Illinois Chicago - Institute on Disability and Human Development | ||
| SODC Research | Research Question 1 (Q1): How do the characteristics of people who remain in a SODC compare to those who leave a SODC? | |
| Research Question 2 (Q2): What are the barriers and facilitators to long-term residence in the community post-SODC transition? | ||
| LIGAS | Research Question: What is the perceived impact of the Ligas consent decree in Illinois since its inception in 2011? | |
| Case Management | Research Question 1 (Q1): What is the experience of case managers supporting people with IDD in Illinois? | |
| Research Question 2 (Q2): What are the wages, benefits, turnover rates, and vacancies of case managers across the US? | ||