Living Well: A National Approach

During the last two decades, the number of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) living in community settings and receiving home and community-based services (HCBS) increased dramatically. 

While this led to better outcomes, including people with I/DD making more of their own choices and being a part of the community, there are great variations in the accessibility of quality HCBS across the country.

In 2017 and 2018 ACL awarded Living Well grants to help develop and test model approaches for enhancing the quality, effectiveness, and monitoring of home and community-based services (HCBS) for people with developmental disabilities. 

These Model Approaches for Living Well grants, awarded as Projects of National Significance by ACL’s Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, are focused on building the capacity of HCBS systems and enhancing community monitoring to prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Missouri is one of 8 states currently receiving funding through the Living Well grants. 

Missouri's Living Well Project

About the Project:

UMKC-IHD is leading a diverse group of stakeholders to measure performance, develop a data visualization system, and build capacity through implementation of new tools and trainings. The team developed a levels of impact framework to organize their efforts and ensure that they are addressing the goals of their Living Well model at all levels of the DD system. The levels include self-advocate networks, family networks, support coordination entities, DD service provider organizations, the DD system, and cross system organizations. UMKC-IHD is building on previous technical assistance experience and the Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC) framework, of which they were a lead developer. Their grant model contains both statewide activities and local engagement through county collaborative teams. These teams represent six of the state’s 114 counties in the initial development phase, with plans to expand the county collaboratives to additional counties in future grant years.

Project Timeline: 

How to Get Involved:

If you're interested in learning more about the Missouri Living Well project or you would like to get involved, email Meghan LaMarche at [email protected] 

Project Objectives

Here are the three main aims of the Missouri Living Well Project

  • Enhance state and county level structures for monitoring and capacity-building and shape decision-making to benefit of people with IDD.

  • Build on current quality assurance initiatives being conducted by UMKC-IHD with the Missouri DDD and other state agencies nationwide.

  • Establish a usable statewide dashboard of county level data that integrates social determinants of health and state DD HCBS requirements for making local decisions.

Visualizing Missouri's Disability System