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Employer Profile

    

Ray Graham Association for People with Disabilities

An innovative person driven organization that supports and works with people with disabilities, their families and the community to improve their quality of life.

Throughout Illinois, Ray Graham Association is regarded as a leader in the field of developmental disabilities. Ray Graham Association consistently demonstrates creativity, quality and cooperation in developing and delivering the best possible services to individuals with disabilities and their families. Ray Graham Association has been at the forefront of public policy, as well as programmatic initiatives that have directly benefited thousands of people with disabilities and their families.

The Association has provided leadership to statewide efforts to influence public policy and increase public funding for community-based services. Among the agency's accomplishments in this area are:
  • Establishing the Institute for Public Policy for People with Disabilities as a unified, state-wide voice advocating for public policy initiatives and positions which improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families;
  • Securing the passage of the Family Support Services legislation enabling families to receive home-based services in their local community;
  • Creating a voucher-based respite model which enables families to design and secure their a flexible package of respite services that meets their particular needs;
  • Organizing inter-county cooperative efforts to expand transportation and funding for people with disabilities;
  • Designing individual-based clinical tools and systems which have been shared and adopted by community agencies throughout the country.
At a more direct level, Ray Graham Association is a dynamic source for positive change in the lives of more than 2,000 people with disabilities and their families throughout DuPage County. Examples of this impact include:
  • Transforming center-based day program services to a community inclusion model;
  • Providing community-based residential services to individuals directly leaving state institutions and others with complex needs whom other agencies would not consider for the community;
  • Developing interest-based day services which appeal to older adults;
  • Exceeding contractual expectations for securing and maintaining employment opportunities for people with disabilities;
  • Maintaining the largest para-transit fleet in DuPage County so that individuals have ready access to community resources;
  • Weaving the promotion of quality of life and attainment of important outcomes into every program and aspect of service delivery offered by Ray Graham Association.
Ray Graham Association has received 3 consecutive 3-year terms of Accreditation with Distinction from the Council on Quality and Leadership, and is one of the few agencies in the country, to merit such an honor. Ray Graham Association is also the only agency in Illinois to receive that organization's Excellence Award for Creative and Innovative Program Services.

The Association's vision, competence and unwavering commitment to quality have served as the foundation for creating positive change in the lives of people we support. We look forward to continually expanding and evolving our organization, and continuing the tradition of quality, person-centered and innovative services that has been our hallmark for more than 50 years.

For additional information visit www.ray-graham.org.


 

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