Community NOW!

Community NOW! is a statewide collaborative workgroup led by adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families, who participate in Medicaid home and community based services. The Workgroup allows adults with I/DD to lead discussions about adult developmental disability (DD) services under Idaho’s Medicaid DD Waiver program. It was made possible through the shared resources of the Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Department of Health & Welfare.

Current Projects & Activities

Community NOW! meetings and discussions are part of the implementation of the K.W. v. Armstrong settlement agreement. The Workgroup of over 60 people bring together:

• Adults with I/DD;
• Family members who support and speak on behalf of adults with I/DD;
• Department managers and administrators;
• advocacy groups such as the DD Council, Disability Rights Idaho, The Center on Disabilities and Human Development at the University of Idaho;
• Medicaid service providers; and
• Representatives from the Idaho Attorney General’s Office (OAG), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Human Services Research Institute (HSRI).

As part of the Community Now Project, representatives from the Department of Health and Welfare, DD Council, the Office of the Attorney General, Human Services Research Institute, and the ACLU also completed in-person listening sessions in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Twin Falls, Emmett, Caldwell, Boise, Grangeville, Lewiston, Coeur d’Alene, and Ponderay. Each listening session provided wonderful opportunities to meet with, and listen to, an additional 94 adults with I/DD, 128 families, and other stakeholders who shared experiences about what is and is not working with adult DD services in Idaho. The shared stories and real life experiences from adults with I/DD and their families are key to learning what supports adults with I/DD want and need, and what barriers may keep adults with I/DD from living full and independent lives.