ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- The State of Illinois is taking a major step forward when it comes to giving people with developmental disabilities more living options and helping them live more comfortable lives.
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A recent Consent Decree approved by a northern district court judge, allows those residents to get out of nursing-home-type institutions and into smaller settings in the community.
Liz John's intellectual disability isn't stopping her from living on her own, in her own apartment.
"I like to be on my own, be my own guardian," says John.
But that wasn't the case for many others with developmental disabilities, until now. A state disability rights case has paved the way for residents in large, state-supported facilities known as Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled (ICF-DDs) to move into small community-based settings if they choose, and have the necessary support.
"They want a life just like we want; they want to be able to have some control over where they live, they want to be able to control who they live with," says Jacki Neil Boss, executive director of The Arc in Rockford.
Neil Boss helps provide resources for John and others with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She says not only do they benefit from the ruling, but so does the state.
"It costs far less for somebody to be supported in the community, so it's going to be a savings for the state and a better quality of living for the individuals," says Neil Boss.
John says, "I'm very happy I don't have to go there."
Neil Boss says in many cases individuals are shipped to facilities far from home so they lose contact with family and friends.
Illinois ranks last out of all 50 states in serving people with developmental disabilities in small settings. It's actually one of the last states that still has such institutions.
# As reported by WIFR.COM; Reporter: Lauren Kravets. Rockford, Illinois
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