The Arc of Illinois honored Governor Pat Quinn for his efforts to change the state’s approach to people with disabilities by giving him their 2012 President’s Award during last week’s 62nd annual convention. A press release put out by the state said the award was given in recognition of Governor Quinn’s “leadership to improve life for people with developmental disabilities by rebalancing Illinois’ approach to providing care.”
As we noted back in February, Illinois is just now moving toward a model of community-based care for people with disabilities following the settlement of a five-year class action suit. Under the new system, known as the Governor’s Rebalancing Initiative, 600 individuals with disabilities will be able to live a more independent life in the same neighborhoods as friends and families. The new approach is expected to be a win-win for the entire states, as the initiative will lower taxpayer burden for care of this population, as the press release explains:
Community-based care has been proven to empower people with developmental disabilities to lead more active, dynamic lives… As part of the ‘money follows the person approach’ to rebalancing, each transitioning resident will be evaluated to receive an individualized budget based on their particular support needs.
One thing individuals with disabilities moving into a new community most definitely will need is employment. As Peoria Journal Star reporter Leslie Renkin points out in her April 28 article, “Life Academy prepares disabled young adults for life after school,” the vocational and career training opportunities for people with disabilities currently surpasses the available number of jobs.
In addition to the East Peoria High School program referenced in Renkin’s story title, she also talks to folks from an organization combining contract services, vocational training, and job coaching, known as PARC. The formula of learning-by-doing that comes with manual labor tasks like assembly, packing, and sorting, combined with instruction on what expectations there are when a person with a disability enters the workforce, followed by a support person on hand when a job begins, is one that has proven to deliver success. As PARC vice president of education services, Doris Hayes, tells Renkin:
Research shows that people with disabilities tend to have better attendance, are more punctual, and show more excitement about going to work than someone without a disability.
Further validation of that research could come if employers would provide more contract services or workplace integration opportunities for people with disabilities in all states, not just Illinois.
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Image by Woody, used under its Creative Commons license.