Illinois ranks last, or 51st among the states and the District of Columbia in the number of people with intellectually and developmental disabilities living in community-based housing. The ranking is telling of a state that has chosen to maintain large institutional settings for its citizens with developmental disabilities, creating frustration for advocates of community-based living. Marisol Rodriguez takes a closer look at how Illinois is different and where the state might be heading.
Illinois is ranked in the bottom 20% of states in its funding for the developmentally and intellectually disabled, and dead last in the number of disabled who live in residential settings of six or fewer people. A fight for state resources has left families who advocate for state-operated developmental centers fearing that the facilities they have confidence in will be pulled out from under them. Elizabeth Tenety reports on the unfortunate tug of war.