The Innovative Independent Living
Project (IILP) was a pilot project that successfully demonstrates how
technology, customized independent living training and support can
combine to allow adults with developmental disabilities to live
independently and affordably in their own communities. Funded by the
Cleveland Foundation and the Billie Howland Steffee Family Fund, this
3 year project resulted in 7 young men moving into family directed
housing situations that are supported by a variety of technology. In
addition, a number of tools were developed which will assist others
who want to create similar solutions. These include a detailed
interactive financial model, detailed descriptions and sources of
technology, training and assessment tools, overview of legal issues
and sample documents to use, and other resources.
It is hoped that the IILP will become a
model that others can imitate and expand as new technology becomes
available. It is clear that new ideas such as the ones developed on
this project are essential to reduce costs in the long term for both
families and agencies. Equally important is the increase in
independence and self-esteem that comes from individuals who can now
live on their own. In order to share as much as possible of what we
have learned, two films and a comprehensive manual have been
developed; they are available for viewing and/or downloading from
this web site.
In this film, the parents and their sons with
developmental disabilities describe their experiences and the
resulting independence due to the Innovative Independent Living
Project. You will see the young men living in their own homes
utilizing a variety of the technology which supports them, as well as
hear them and their parents discuss the journey. You can watch the
whole film or by hovering over the video player below, you can bring up individual sections of the video. For Closed Captioning, please click the bottom-right menu for options.
IILP – Introduction (through
12:38)
This segment
includes an overview of the project objectives and achievements. In
it, you will hear the project manager describe and will view various
aspects of the two houses with 6 residents with developmental
disabilities. In addition, parents describe why they were motivated
to participate in this innovative project. http://youtu.be/hxbrsWjCJSI
IILP – Technology
These segments show
some of the technology used in the houses to increase the levels of
safety and independence of the residents. For your viewing
convenience, they have been divided into sections related to specific
purposes.
Overview of technology as well as
miscellaneous specific items for the kitchen (12:39 – 15:01) http://youtu.be/R4L2WeFTOQs
Household Security, including door
locks, automatic garage door closers, and other miscellaneous items
(15:02 – 16: 58) http://youtu.be/qMfeTD36od8
Prompting Systems for
Independence. Shows an innovative system which tests whether a
variety of activities of daily living have been performed and
delivers customized and variable prompts depending on the results.
(18:22 – 24:34) http://youtu.be/HTJKWB7O5AQ
IILP – Making It Happen (24.35 –
28:29)
Parents describe
what was involved in successfully implementing their family directed
housing projects.
http://youtu.be/uoN9klycpYg
IILP – Retrospective (28:30 –
31:58)
Parents look back
at the year since their sons moved into their new homes and reflect
on the value and trials of it all, as well as give some advice for
others who might want to try similar solutions. http://youtu.be/NCpk_e3iwIA
IILP – The Guys (31:59 – 36:25)
The residents of
homes facilitated by the IILP describe their own perspectives of
independent living. http://youtu.be/xch-W5GT9O4
This film describes some aspects of the
IILP that were especially important to the successful completion of
all project goals. The program manager and two professionals
identify eight “critical success factors” and talk about how they
were incorporated over the life of the project.
This manual was
created as a way to share experiences and tools from the Innovative
Independent Living Project. It includes extensive guidance for
people hoping to create their own independent living solutions, as
well as a number of tools that can be used for many other purposes.
It also includes information on
technology items from the IILP project. Some of the items were
tested by participants and some of those were included in the pilot
project homes. Other items listed have not yet been tested or did
not meet needs of these particular residents, but are included
because they may be right for assisting others.
To download this file, right click and select "Download Linked File" or "Save As"
Includes the introductions, overview
and Chapters 1 -13 of the Innovative Independent Living Project
Manual. Lists numerous types of technology that might be useful, as
well as describes possible housing models that work, processes,
financial and legal implications, support and housemate assessment
information, and much other valuable information.
Appendix I
As discussed in Chapter 3, this
includes the Financial Model as a downloadable Excel file, and the
detailed Financial Model User’s Guide to explain how to complete
the model.
As discussed in Chapter 8, includes 2
tools to help assess the areas in which a person with disabilities
might need support. They were developed by Welcome House Inc.
Discussed in Chapter 10 on Technology.
Includes two samples of prompting tools created by using Microsoft
Office PowerPoint. They are PowerPoint Show files and can be played
even by those who do not have PowerPoint installed on their
computers. However, you must first download the PowerPoint Viewer,
which can be found at
