Illinois Life Span Project

|Givens |Quality Assurance |Life Span Consumer Performance Targets |Follow Up |Summary |Disclaimer

Givens| What Illinois Life Span Design and Implementation Can and Cannot Do:

• Project must promote productivity, independence, integration and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities.

• The system must be for people with developmental disabilities of all ages, and their families.

• The system must help people get general information and connect to advocacy services throughout their lives.

• The system will not replace the work of Independent Service Coordination Agencies!

• The system is not a watchdog group or a grievance mechanism for problems with advocacy services already in place.

• The Illinois Life Span Project is the state’s centralized information and referral resource for people with developmental disabilities, their family members and professionals in the field.

Quality Assurance| The System Includes a Three-tier Quality Assurance System:

• Internal evaluation (quality measure of the system) response time, timely follow-up
• Verification of individual consumer results
• System change through the use of data collected
  – Feedback to individual referral sources
  – Evaluating and impacting larger system issues
  (Service gaps and/or advocacy gaps)

Illinois Life Span Consumer Performance Targets| The consumer will have:

• Learned to identify need(s) that they felt was not being met.

• Explored advocacy service options available to themselves and their family members.

• Selected advocacy service(s) they wanted to know more about.

• Contacted selected advocacy service(s) and found out more information.

• Choose the advocacy service(s) that they wanted and used it.

• The advocacy service(s) they used is meeting the need(s) that they had identified when first contacting Illinois Life Span.

Follow Up| Follow up is an important part of this information and advocacy coordination system. Individuals with disabilities and their families must have assistance in securing necessary general information and linkage to potential advocacy resources for services and support. Follow up ensures that individuals with disabilities and their families get what they need. Summary| Illinois Life Span Project Benefits to Overall Advocacy

• Single point of contact to begin advocacy services search
• Statewide advocacy services system coordination

• Build bridges to other advocacy groups

• Bring self advocates, family members, and other consumers to the table

• Involve other units of government

• Advocacy on the web and online

• Build central registry of advocacy services in database, online, and in print

• Project marketing raises public awareness about advocacy issues and services

• Identify service gaps thru data collection

• Document needs for expanded services and new services

• Recommend service expansion(s) and/or creation

• Potential new advocacy services, supports, and resources

Disclaimer| Resources listed on this website do not constitute an endorsement by the Illinois Life Span Project, The Arc of Illinois, or the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities. The Illinois Life Span mission is to provide comprehensive resources and information on advocacy, supports and services to people with disabilities, families and professionals statewide. Please contact us if you find incorrect/outdated information or are aware of resources not currently included. Thank you.