IN 04/16/2025 COMMUNICATION:
- DDD is Hiring
- Ligas Family Townhall - TODAY!
- FY25 DDD SEP Revalidation - 4th Notice
- 2025 Legislative Updates
- DDD Communication is getting a new look!
- Child Abuse Prevention Month
- Other Resources
DDD IS HIRING
The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) is looking for talented, experienced people who want to join the effort to ensure people with Individuals with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) can get the services they want and need. We encourage you to apply today.
If you are interested in this position, please visit the new Careers at State of Illinois (jobs2web.com) to apply or apply at the link provided. Please note that while the job posting will have a specific location specified, there could be opportunities for hybrid or other office locations so consider all opportunities! Employees exercising contractual rights must utilize the employee portal to submit their bid.
REMINDER: LIGAS FAMILY TOWNHALL - APRIL 16 at 1:00pm
Please join us today for The Ligas Family Townhall meeting as we welcome our new Court Monitor, Lorene Reagan! The Ligas Family Townhall was started to annually bring together Ligas Class Members, families, and other interested stakeholders to share their stories and hear updates from the Court Monitor, DDD, the Plaintiffs' Counsel, and the Ligas Family Advocates. People will learn about resources and how to stay connected by joining the Ligas Family Advisory Council's quarterly meetings. There is no need to register - attendees can simply join the Ligas Family Townhall by clicking here: Townhall WebEx Link
FY25 DDD SEP REVALIDATION - 4TH NOTICE
Since Fiscal Year 22 (FY22), the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) has conducted an annual Revalidation of all active authorizations for the DDD Supported Employment Program (SEP).
Active authorizations are those that were Revalidated in FY24 and any New/Initial DDD SEP authorizations approved from 7/1/24 through 3/31/25.
New/Initial authorizations approved on or after 4/1/25 are not subject to FY25 Revalidation and will carry over to FY26.
FY25 DDD SEP Revalidation will occur from April 1st, 2025, through end of business May 2nd, 2025.
Guidelines can be found on the DDD Employment webpage.
Direct Link to FY25 DDD SEP Revalidation Guidelines
2025 LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
The State of Illinois 104th General Assembly and legislative session is underway. All bills must pass review in both chambers (House and Senate). May 9th will be the deadline for all bills to pass committee review in the 2nd chamber with a targeted adjournment of the Assembly at the end of May. Thus far, 766 bills and bill amendments have been introduced, and The Division has been hard at work reviewing legislation and supporting those proposals that impact the intellectually and developmentally disabled community. Much of the legislation is still in the process of being reviewed and negotiated, and DDD will provide itemized highlights soon!
Read more here: Illinois General Assembly - House Schedules and here: Illinois General Assembly - Senate Schedules
DDD COMMUNICATIONS IS GETTING A NEW LOOK!
Effective May 5th, the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) will begin to send the weekly email communication through Constant Contact. Previously the communication was sent through Lyris/ListServ. Please note that if you are already subscribed to receive regular communications, you will stay subscribed and continue to receive DDD communications. Please add email address dhs.dddcomments@illinoisdhsddd.ccsend.com to your address book so you remain connected to DDD Communication.
For the first two weeks (week of May 5th and May 12th, 2025), you will receive a communication both through Lyris/ListServ and Constant Contact to ensure everyone has obtained access to the new version. The week of May 19th and going forward, only Constant Contact will be used for DDD Communication.
Initially, the DDD Communication email may show up in promotions instead of primary inbox (Gmail) or "Other" instead of "Focused" in Outlook. You can adjust these settings in your respective program.
The DDD Communication email subject line will read "[External] [MARKETING] Division of Developmental Disabilities." This subject line will be the same each week.
Sometimes (due to your organization's security settings) the images in the email will need to be downloaded before they will be displayed. When this happens you may receive a message in Outlook that says, "If there are problems with how this message is displayed, click here to view it in a web browser." You may also see a message that says, "Click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of some pictures in this message." Clicking either of these messages will allow your computer or device to download the logos and image in the Constant Contact email. Downloading these images is not required to see the text written in the communication.
Please note that if you are already subscribed to receive regular communications, you will stay subscribed. Please email DHS.DDDComments@illinois.gov with questions.
CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH - APRIL 2025
The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) joins the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Prevent Child Abuse Illinois, Hospital Sisters Health System, the Poshard Foundation for Abused Children, elected officials, child welfare stakeholders and more in observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month. This year's theme, Powered by Hope, Strengthened by Prevention, is a call to action to commit to a future where every child grows up safe, loved and full of hope. Explore more here: Child Abuse Prevention Month Activities 2025.
To report suspected child abuse or neglect, visit the DCFS Online Reporting System here: Online Abuse Reporting or call the DCFS Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873). Calls and online reports may be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
OTHER RESOURCES
April is Financial Literacy Month in Illinois!
The Treasurer's Office team wants to make sure teachers, children, young adults, parents, and seniors are aware of a wide variety of free financial education resources available. Visit the Financial Literacy Month page to learn more.
This page includes financial education resources and activities for students at all grade levels, including elementary, high school, and college students. Young professionals, parents, people with disabilities and senior citizens can also benefit from these tools.
Illinois ABLE News & Updates
IL ABLE "Achieving a Better Life Experience" accounts give people with disabilities and their families greater financial independence while preserving benefits. IL ABLE is a savings and investment plan that makes it possible for people with disabilities and their families to save and invest their money for expenses related to living with a disability. ABLE accounts can help solve a long-time predicament that many people with disabilities face: how to build financial wellness without risking much-needed federal government benefits. Sign up for important ABLE information and resources by visiting our ABLE newsletter website, accessABLE.
Understanding Extended School Year (ESY): A Charting the LifeCourse Approach
Join Family Matters for a FREE Webinar on Understanding Extended School Year (ESY)! Do you have questions about Extended School Year (ESY) services? Wondering if your child qualifies or how ESY can support their learning and development? This webinar is perfect for parents, caregivers, educators, and advocates who want to better understand ESY services and student rights.
What You'll Learn:
- What ESY is (and isn't!)
- How ESY decisions are made under IDEA & Illinois School Code
- The role of Charting the LifeCourse in ESY planning
- Advocacy strategies for parents
- How ESY supports academic, social, and life skills
- Date: April 21, 2025
- Time: 12:00 PM Central Time
Access Living: Knowledge is Power (KIP) Series
KIP is a community education series developed by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD) and Access Living. The focus of KIP is to talk about how federal government actions affect people with disabilities, and how we can make our concerns known. Come prepared to ask questions. Registration is required.
All sessions are in Central Time:
- Apr 16, 2025 01:00 PM
- May 7, 2025 01:00 PM
- May 28, 2025 01:00 PM
- Jun 18, 2025 01:00 PM
The information contained herein should not be considered a substitute for the appropriate official statutes, rules, regulations, or the advice of legal counsel.
To request to be added to our email database, or to update your contact and service information, please complete our Contact Survey.
Information provided will help us to better tailor communications to you in the future.
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