Poised for Progress!

The Institute elected new members to the Board for 2012. The Institute now has 28 members. The Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities has never been better poised to continue in its leadership position in helping to shape the direction of services and supports for people with disabilities in Illinois.

Over the last several years, the Institute has clearly asserted its influence and leadership in a number of very strategic areas that are now well recognized throughout the disability community.

Vision: To be the premier association promoting best practice and leading edge public policy for individuals with disabilities throughout Illinois. 

Mission: The Institute will provide leadership, direction and technical assistance that will drive public policy and promote best practice for individuals with disabilities.

Core Values:

·         We promote individual choice.

·         We believe individuals and their families must be active participants in defining quality.

·         We champion the principals of self-determination in the service delivery system.

·         We believe services and supports must be designed to be individual-driven.

·         We abide in a strong code of ethics that governs how we do business.

·         We operate with a sense of urgency and focus on the advancement of our goals and objectives.

·         Our focus, energy and resources are targeted to the individuals that we support.

·         We promote community-based supports.

We have consistently had discussions that we are not a trade association and that we have very honestly and directly many times had honest discussions about the difference between provider issues and public policy issues.  This has served us well through many of our discussions.   

It is absolutely critical for the future that the Institute’s focus continues to be on our core values and our vision which leads us toward our mission.  According to our mission, the Institute is to provide the leadership, direction and technical assistance that will drive public policy and promote best practice for individuals with disabilities.  

The New Freedom Initiative (NFI) is a nationwide effort to remove barriers to community living for all people of all ages with disabilities and long-term illnesses.  It represents an important step in working to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to learn and develop skills, engage in productive work, choose where they live and participate in community life.  

This Initiative supports states’ efforts to meet the goals of the Olmstead decision that requires states to administer services, programs and activities “in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.