The Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (IARF)

IARF Work Plan

Objective 1: Develop a Statewide Data Vision and Strategy

• Overview and Rationale
  • To support a person-centered, lifespan-inclusive system, the Coalition must first understand the full population of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in Illinois. This requires a comprehensive, partnership-driven data strategy to unify fragmented data, prioritize equity, and build trust among agencies and stakeholders.
• Outcome
  • A clear and actionable data strategy document that defines what data is needed, how it will be collected and used, and how partnerships will be cultivated and sustained.
• Deliverables
  • Coalition-endorsed Data Vision & Strategy document
  • Stakeholder engagement plan (including feedback summit integration)
  • Preliminary demographic and data gap analysis of the 235,000 estimated individuals with I/DD in Illinois
  • Framework for long-term maintenance and governance of the data system

Objective 2: Build a Partnership Network for Data Sharing

• Overview and Rationale
  • Addressing the needs of all people with IDD requires extensive collaboration. A trusted, coordinated network will be essential to secure buy-in and enable sustained data sharing across public and private systems.
• Outcome
  • An initial agreement is in place to support the longitudinal, secure, and ethical sharing of data.
• Deliverables
  • Communication plan and meeting schedule for partner engagement
  • Onboarding toolkit for new data partners
  • Trust-building protocols to address data privacy, ethics, and security concerns

Objective 3: Develop a Data Infrastructure and Warehouse Prototype

• Overview and Rationale
  • A centralized data warehouse is crucial for integrating diverse systems and enabling dynamic, AI-supported analysis. The infrastructure must be flexible, secure, and capable of evolving to accommodate new data and emerging use cases.
• Outcome
  • A prototype for a secure, scalable data warehouse system capable of ingesting, storing, and analyzing millions of records across agencies and organizations.
• Deliverables
  • Functional prototype of the data warehouse system (e.g., using a platform like Domo)
  • Integration blueprint for connecting disparate datasets
  • Data governance framework (security, access control, audit logging)
  • Initial analytic and reporting dashboards aligned with coalition priorities