Completed Projects

ADA 25 Advancing Leadership

ADA 25 Advancing Leadership was a legacy project of the ADA 25 Chicago events that recognized the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act in Chicago. It was a program designed to increase the participation of people with disabilities in Chicago area civic leadership positions including those on boards, commissions, and advisory councils.

There were two classes of leadership Fellows who attended a leadership training retreat—one in December 2015 and the second in January 2017. IDHD conducted an evaluation of the program, including short-term outcomes for both the 2015 and 2017 cohorts, as well as a one-year follow-up with the 2015 cohort.

Funding: ADA 25 Advancing Leadership (part of the Chicago Community Trust)

Collaborators: Randall Owen, PI, Valerie Barich (Graduate Research Assistant), Tamar Heller (PI for 2015-16 contract)

Publications

Center for Independent Futures

The Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities funded a handful of agencies and groups in Illinois to conduct projects that were designed to increase the inclusion and integration of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in communities across the state, primarily through increasing their social capital and relationships.

The Life Like Any Other Bridge Builders project was designed to identify and train community volunteers to spend time with young adults with developmental disabilities in “mainstream” (non-disability specific) settings and activities. Through the growth of such relationships, the project anticipated an increase in social capital for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

These volunteers, (“Bridge Builders”) were connected with participants who had shared or similar interests through informal social networks. At each of the three project sites, one Community Connector served as the “matchmaker” and provided ongoing support to the dyads. The project proposed to match 20 Bridge Builders with 30 participants across the Frankfort and Evanston, and Little Village/Berwyn sites.

Funding: Subcontract from the Center for Independent Futures through the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities

Collaborators: Aleksa Owen (PI), Tamar Heller, Center for Independent Futures staff and consultants

Publications

Home and Community Based Services: Advocates Creating Transformation

All states were in the process of coming into compliance with regulations put forth by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2014. It was crucial for people receiving HCBS services to understand their rights and responsibilities under the new regulations (sometimes called the “final rule”) in order to maximize good outcomes for people with disabilities and their families. This project took a multi-pronged approach, conducting in person-trainings, webinars, and cultivating self-advocates and family members as leaders in HCBS policy and related issues across the State of Illinois.

This project was designed to educate stakeholders on the new Home and Community Based Service rules. The rules maximize choice, customization and community inclusion. The project trained over 2,000 Illinois residents as well as developed a cadre of Leadership Fellows who provided training in their communities across the state. IDHD had a dual role in this project, with some staff assisting with training and mentoring stakeholders, while others were involved with evaluating the program as a whole.

Funding: Subcontract from Council on Quality and Leadership through the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities

Training collaborators
Aleksa Owen (PI), Jessica Schultz, Irma Hernandez, Tia Nelis, CQL, Institute for Public Policy for People with Disabilities

Evaluation collaborators
Caitlin Crabb and Randall Owen (Evaluation PI)

Evaluation of the Implementation of the Ligas Consent Decree

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.

IDHD evaluated 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 (the numbers in the report and in this release are based on those who filled the survey, not the entire class). 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.

Funding: Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services

Collaborators: Tamar Heller, Kate Caldwell, Meghan Burke, Lieke van Heumen, Susun Xiong, Meenhye Lee, Yue Wei, Alison Fedoris

Publications

Envision Unlimited

The Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities funded a handful of agencies and groups in Illinois to conduct projects that were designed to increase the inclusion and integration of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in communities across the state, primarily through increasing their social capital and relationships.

Envision Unlimited implemented a project to better integrate residents of Community Integrated Living Arrangements into their neighborhoods. The project used people-focused and asset-based community development principles. Direct support staff received training and residents were provided with individual supports by staff to participate in local organizations.

The evaluation team retrieved the experiences of the project participants with ID with their community participation using photo voice, an inclusive research strategy.

Funding: Subcontract from Envision through the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities

Collaborators: Lieke van Heumen, Chih-Chieh Hsu (Graduate Student), Envision Unlimited staff and self advocates, Valerie Lilley (Graduate student, Department of Social Work, DePaul University)

Idaho Non-emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) Evaluation

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) contracted with the Evaluation and Public Policy Unit in the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago to evaluate access to healthcare and quality of care provided by the Current Broker for Idaho’s NEMT services. The evaluation included interviews with stakeholders, review of standard and detailed reports produced by the Current Broker, and a survey distributed to a sample of eligible people utilizing NEMT services.

Funding: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Collaborators: Idaho Center on Disabilities and Human Development (Idaho UCEDD), Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Randall Owen (PI), Caitlin Crabb, Yochai Eisenberg, Miguel Morales, Drew Egli

Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities Historical Review

This project involved a historical analysis of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD), the categorical trends of projects they funded in the past 40 years, and the impact that these projects had for people with developmental disabilities in Illinois. This project aimed to provide recommendations to benefit future funding considerations.

Funding: Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities

Collaborators: Tamar Heller (PI), Kaitlin Stober, Virginia Mason, ICDD staff

An Independent Evaluation of the Integrated Care Program

The Integrated Care Program (ICP) is a mandatory managed care program for seniors and people with disabilities who are enrolled with Medicaid in parts of Illinois. IDHD evaluated the impact on cost and utilization and enrollee experiences since the program started in May 2011. The state funded the evaluation for four years, and we continued to work with data related to this evaluation through the  RRTC on Developmental Disabilities and Health and the Family Support Research Training Center.

Funding: National Institute on Disability and Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research,  IDILDD Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services

Collaborators: Tamar Heller, Randall Owen, Kiyoshi Yamaki, Dale Mitchell, Yochai Eisenberg, Coady Wing, Anne Bowers, Caitlin Crabb, Susun Xiong, Robert Gould, Chris Keys, Judah Viola, Fabricio Balcazar, DHS, Aetna, IlliniCare