Welcome! Programs of The Arc of Illinois December 3, 2014.
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Welcome! Programs of The Arc of Illinois December 3, 2014
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Transcript of Welcome! Programs of The Arc of Illinois December 3, 2014.
Welcome!Programs of
The Arc of Illinois
December 3, 2014
Programs of The Arc of Illinois include:
Consumer Involvement Program Consumer Stipend Funds
Meet The Ligas Family AdvocatesShirley Perez, Program Director, Ligas Family Advocate
Program [email protected]
Kimberly Johnson - Evans, Ligas Family [email protected]
Toni Howard, Ligas Family [email protected]
Missy Kichline, Ligas Family [email protected]
http://ligasfamilyadvocateprogram.org/ link to our Ligas website
Ligas Family Advocate Program
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The Ligas Family Advocate Program has one purpose – to connect recipients of Ligas award letters seeking Home Based or CILA services and their families with family advocates who are knowledgeable about creative ways to utilize their Ligas funding to build successful lives in the community.
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• This program will initially focus on Ligas class members within the areas served by three Independent Service Coordination agencies:
1. Community Service Options Inc. 2. Developmental Disabilities Services Metro East 3. Suburban Access.
Ligas Family Advocate Program Focus
• Our advocates will work closely with a designated representative from within each of these agencies, sharing information with families. Two of these agencies serve the greater Chicago area and the third serves the St. Louis metropolitan area.
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What Information will be shared with Ligas Class Members and How?
Information will be shared in face-to-face meetings, at trainings, atoutreach events and presentations, and through brochures and otherinformational documents.
• Information about the Ligas Consent Decree and the rights of class members• Information about choices for living and receiving services• The history of, and current parameters for Home-Based Support Services Program
and CILA• Information on Illinois’ Employment First legislation and resources for employment
assistance• Effective advocacy strategies and resources• Potential questions for use in choosing a service provider• Person-centered planning and self-determination information/resources
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Outreach Activities
Since April the Ligas Family Advocates have held 10 Know Your Options Events !The Success of these events were measured through surveys.
Through their outreach activities the Ligas Family Advocates have had some form of contact with at least five hundred people this includes:
• Ligas class members in the pilot area, Ligas class members from outside of the pilot area, their families, providers, and professionals in the ID/DD field.
• One hundred and sixty-five Ligas class members and their guardians received letters from the Ligas Family Advocate program in April 2014 when their names were selected from PUNS.
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Barriers Identified
• Lack of Communication/Inconsistency in Information Communicated
• Information Overload
• CILA placements still seem to be too large and are too far away
• Lack of Meaningful Daytime Activities/Programs – need more options
• Lack of Employment Opportunities
• Services with Non-Disabled peers
• Transportation
• Health/Medical concerns
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Summary
The process for awarding services to Ligas class members is confusing to class members and their families. They have made recommendations to the Ligas Family Advocate Program on everything from the letter of invitation itself to the Ligas website, from a need for clear definitions of different relevant terms (such as employment coach, personal assistant, service facilitator) to a frustration with the time involved in the process itself and in their communications with their PAS/ISC agents.
Families have complained of lack of follow up or call-backs. They are frustrated about the lack of employment opportunities or even having a discussion about it. They have also talked about the confusion caused by information overload and differences in how PAS/ISC agencies handle all the paperwork that needs to be done and how they communicate this to Ligas class members and families. Families have expressed a need for knowledge about what to expect at Pre-Admission Screening meetings and what to expect of the various professionals involved in the process.
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What We Hope To AccomplishCollect data that identifies: • Services needed but unavailable • Observed trends • Barriers to employment • Barriers to successful development and implementation of an
individual’s service plan • Level of consumer/family satisfaction with the Home-Based Support
Services Program or CILA as implemented • Descriptions of successful strategies used to reach individuals/families
The end result of this data collection will be the ability to provide program data summaries and recommendations to both the Ligas Court Monitor and the Illinois Department of Human Services that will ultimately result in positive systemic change.
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Department of Human ServicesDivision of Developmental Disabilities319 E. Madison Street, Suite 3MSpringfield, IL 62701-1305Phone: (217) 785-6171Email: [email protected] may contact the federal Court Monitor for the Ligas Consent Decree:Mr. Tony RecordsPhone: Email: [email protected]
Ligas Contacts
Acknowledgement The Arc Ligas Family Advocate Program would like to thank the three Individual Service Coordination agencies: Community Service Options Inc., Developmental Disabilities Services Metro East, and Suburban Access and their designated staff person who has and is working with this program as we move forward working together to provide information about services and options for families and self-advocates.
We are an additional resource for families and self-advocates.
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Questions
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Thank you for your interest in
The Arc of Illinois!
December 3, 2014
