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1    AN ACT concerning persons with disabilities.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Customized Employment for Individuals with Disabilities Act.
 
6    Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to assist
7individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities or
8similar conditions resulting in a most significant disability
9who seek employment and require more individualized assistance
10to achieve and maintain integrated employment at competitive
11wages through a process of customized planning and negotiation.
 
12    Section 10. Customized Employment Pilot Program. The
13Department of Human Services, through its Division of
14Rehabilitation Services and in collaboration with the Division
15of Developmental Disabilities, shall establish a 5-year
16Customized Employment Pilot Program that serves a minimum of 25
17individuals by the second year of the Pilot Program. The Pilot
18Program shall include the following components:
19        (1) An intensive discovery phase during which the
20    unique needs, abilities, and interests of the individual
21    will be explored by the individual at his or her direction
22    with assistance from family, friends, colleagues,

 

 

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1    advocates, community-based service agencies, and others as
2    determined by the individual.
3        (2) A customized person-centered planning process
4    based upon information gathered during the discovery phase
5    that involves capturing, organizing, and presenting the
6    information in a blueprint for the job search.
7        (3) An employer negotiation process in which job duties
8    and employee expectations are negotiated to align the
9    skills and interests of the individual with the needs of an
10    employer. The negotiation process may result in agreement
11    on options such as (i) carving out a job for the
12    individual, (ii) creating a new job description, (iii)
13    creating a new job, (iv) job-sharing, and (v) agreeing on
14    job supports, transportation needs, assistive technology,
15    work hours, location, or supervision needs.
16        (4) A flexible timeline for a comprehensive discovery,
17    planning, and job placement process to accommodate the
18    unique needs of the individual.
19    The Customized Employment Pilot Program shall be
20implemented through an individualized plan for employment
21developed by the individual with a disability and the
22vocational rehabilitation counselor employed by the Division
23of Rehabilitation Services. The individual with a disability
24may choose to have a personal representative participate in the
25development of the individualized plan for employment.
 

 

 

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1    Section 15. Selection of participants. Individuals shall
2be identified and referred to the Department to participate in
3the Pilot Program by community-based agencies serving persons
4with intellectual or developmental disabilities. A team of
5individuals identified during the discovery phase shall be
6created to work with the individual during the process. The
7team shall include at least one qualified staff person as
8described in Section 25. Selection preference shall be given to
9individuals who are currently working in a sheltered workshop
10setting for a subminimum wage and individuals for whom it is
11likely that their current employment options will be limited to
12working in a sheltered workshop for a subminimum wage.
 
13    Section 20. Diversity. Participants in the Pilot Program
14shall reflect the geographical, racial, ethnic, gender, and
15income-level diversity of the State.
 
16    Section 25. Community-based agencies and staff
17qualifications. The Pilot Program shall utilize a minimum of 4
18Illinois non-profit community-based agencies that must:
19        (1) assign at least one staff member who has received a
20    certificate of completion for training in community
21    employment, with a specialization in customized
22    employment, from a recognized and qualified training
23    entity such as the Association of Community Rehabilitation
24    Educators; and

 

 

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1        (2) have access to technical assistance on customized
2    employment from a recognized and qualified training entity
3    to work with each participant in the Pilot Program.
 
4    Section 30. Data collection and reporting. The Department
5shall collect data regarding the successes and challenges of
6the Pilot Program and shall submit an annual report to the
7Governor and the General Assembly on March 1st of each year
8beginning in 2021 until the Pilot Program terminates. The
9reports shall: (i) make a recommendation as to whether the
10Pilot Program should continue or become a statewide program;
11(ii) provide cost estimates, including the average per person
12costs; and (iii) recommend ways in which the Pilot Program can
13be improved to better serve the needs of individuals with
14disabilities and employers.
 
15    Section 35. Advice and recommendations. In the creation,
16operation, and administration of the Pilot Program, the
17Department shall seek the advice and recommendations of the
18State Rehabilitation Council, Illinois Council on
19Developmental Disabilities, the Illinois Task Force on
20Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with
21Disabilities, statewide disability advocacy groups, and
22organizations representing large, medium, and small
23businesses.
 

 

 

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1    Section 40. The Department may adopt administrative rules
2governing the Pilot Program; however, the Pilot Program shall
3not be delayed pending the adoption of rules.