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Legal Specialties for Children and Adults with Disabilities and Their Families

Click on any of the substantive legal specialties below to learn more.

Publications and other resource material for families and professionals.

Robert H. Farley, Jr. writes and publishes on disability and disability law regularly. Below is a sampling of currently available articles and publications.

Click here to view more on our main publications page.

Publications and articles are available for reprint by not-for-profit agencies and parents groups; please see reprint requirements on our publications page.

Workshops, Seminars and Presentations

Robert H. Farley, Jr. is available to speak to parents groups, organizations, and agencies on a wide variety of issues related to disability advocacy and disability services. Popular topics include:

  • Adult Services for Developmentally Disabled Persons
  • Waiting List for Services: Fact or Fiction

Click here to visit our main workshops page.

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Click here to view video of Mr. Farley's presentation, Obtaining Funding or Services for Children & Adults with DD in the State of Illinois.

The State of Illinois Waiting List

Begun on November 1, 2004, the State of Illinois maintains a database — the Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services, or PUNS — of unmet needs for persons with developmental disabilities.

The State assigns each member of the waiting list a status that describes their level of need for services. A status of "emergency" is assigned to persons needing immediate support, "critical" to person needing support services within one year, and "planning" to persons needing support services in the next 1 to 5 years or if the caregiver is older than 60 years.

In order to receive funding for services an individual must be listed on the PUNS waiting list. Contact your local Independent Service Coordination Agency to be placed on the list.

As of January 2019, over 13,800 persons with developmental disabilities have an emergency or critical need for services.

Click here for the latest statistical information available on the Illinois PUNS waiting list.