Today Ronnie Cohn Ligas Court Monitor will address The Arc’s Leadership Conference as well as Lori Baker and Secretary Dimas.
Interestingly, a new report has been issued from the Institute for Disability and Human Development at UIC on the implementation of the Ligas Consent Decree. The report makes the following recommendations as a result of their evaluation.
From the Executive Summary
The results of the evaluation suggest the following recommendations:
1. Expand availability of CILAs, particularly for 4 or less people, as this is families’ and class members’ most frequently preferred residential setting. The vast majority of class members who wanted to live in residential community-based settings received home based services instead and these class members and their family members/guardians
have worse outcomes.
2. Increase services and supports to class members who receive home based services,particularly dental services, transportation services, behavioral services, recreational services and employment options.
3. Continue the Ligas Family Advocacy Program. Many families indicated the need for information on Ligas and the desire to connect with other families.
4. Increase the availability of services, including residential supports, to class members from non-white backgrounds and from lower educated families who are less likely to receive needed services.
More on the report below.
Tony
In January 2017, the Ligas Court Monitor released the Fifth Annual Report on the implementation of the Ligas Consent Decree. For the second year in a row, the Monitor found Illinois in noncompliance, specifically relating to quality services and the DSP staffing crisis. The Institute on Disability and Human Development (IDHD) has also been evaluating outcomes related to the Ligas Consent Decree. Our final report includes results from surveys of families and guardians of class members that were conducted in 2013 and again in 2015. These results supplement the findings of the Court Monitor and provide additional detail regarding the experiences of people in the Ligas class who have received services and those who are still on the waiting list.
The full report can be accessed at: https://uofi.box.com/v/IDHDLigasReport
The executive summary of the report can be accessed at: https://uofi.box.com/v/IDHDLigasES.
Tony Paulauski
Senior Advisor
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
708-828-0188 (CELL)
Tony@thearcofil.org