The Arc of Illinois is proud to announce the launch of a new Illinois Life Span website at www.illinoislifespan.org! As many of you know, the Illinois Life Span Program and the services provided by that program were suspended on July 1, 2015 due to the Illinois budget impasse.
The Illinois Life Span Program (ILS) was funded originally in 2001 through a Call for Investment of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities. ILS was designed to provide a “one stop shop” for accurate, up-to-date general information and linkage to advocacy and service resources. Information was made available through the ILS website at www.illinoislifespan.org and via a toll-free help line.
The Illinois Life Span Program assured that people had access to help in locating resources needed to navigate the complex and ever-changing world of disability services and supports in Illinois. Funding was eventually provided through the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities and subsequently, the program became one of the casualties of the Illinois budget impasse.
The Arc of Illinois recognizes that Illinois still needs a strong, central location for people with disabilities and their families to get information and locate resources. For that reason, The Arc pursued and secured private funding to modernize the Illinois Life Span website in a new streamlined and user friendly format.
Illinois Life Span, as it currently exists, provides essential service entry and advocacy resources by county and links to a multitude of additional resources important to individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, and professionals. The new Illinois Life Span website provides visitors to the site with what we hope they will find to be a comprehensive and focused resource that is also simple to navigate.
Individuals choosing a “County” search will find a brief list of the most requested resources for individuals/families that include a loved one with a developmental disability. Choosing a “Statewide” search results in a huge list of resources, organized by broad, general category. The Advocacy Toolbox, and Website Links are among the resources from the old website that remain on the new site.
Although we know that the need continues for the personal assistance that was formerly provided by Illinois Life Span staff via the toll-free line, this website will allow the important work that was developed over the last fifteen years to continue for those seeking developmental disability-specific information in Illinois. We remain focused on re-instating the toll-free help line, expanding the resources available at www.illinoislifespan.org, and providing outreach to underserved communities in our future!
Tony Paulauski
Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@thearcofil.org