Aaron Bass, a 39-year-old man with a moderate intellectual disability, has spent years trying to move from Shapiro Developmental Center to a smaller, community-based group home where he hopes to experience more independence.

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a sweeping investigation into Illinois’ treatment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, examining whether the state unnecessarily institutionalizes individuals and fails to protect them from abuse and neglect.

Young adults with developmental disabilities and their families often face a sudden loss of structure and support after graduating from high school, a transition commonly referred to as “the cliff.”

Intellectual and developmental disability service providers in Illinois are warning that proposed federal budget cuts to Medicaid — part of broader spending reductions being debated in Congress — could jeopardize critical supports for people with disabilities who rely on the program for health care and community-based services.

Many young adults with developmental disabilities and their families in Chicago find themselves facing a daunting “cliff” after high school, as support systems and structured programs disappear once they graduate

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced plans to restructure the troubled Choate Developmental Center.