Advocacy
The Advocacy Department
at Access Living
Access Living is the Center for Independent Living for the city of Chicago. We run advocacy and independent living programs to support people with disabilities live the lives we want to live. The majority of our staff, leadership and board are people with disabilities, reflecting our core value of consumer control–––nothing about us without us!
Our Advocacy Department works in collaboration with our Independent Living Department and Legal Department to create real options and freedom for self–determination of people with all kinds of disabilities. While our independent living services provide individual and peer group support in navigating life issues, our advocacy work creates systemic and community opportunities to protect and exercise our human rights.
The Advocacy Department is divided
into two main areas of action:
Community Development and Organizing (CDO) : Our CDO team is dedicated to developing the leadership of grassroots people with disabilities and working through community organizing to fight for social change.
Staff contact: Beto Barrera, Manager of Community Development, (312) 640–2111 or abarrera@accessliving.org (se habla Español).
Policy Analysis : Our Policy Team experts monitor, craft and respond to policies, regulations, programs and legislation that affect the disability community.
Staff contact: Amber Smock, Director of Advocacy, (312) 640–2191 or asmock@accessliving.org.
We also work to partner with our fellow disability organizations throughout Chicago and across the state of Illinois. Over the last thirty years, Access Living's staff have created social change for disability rights at the local, state, national and even international levels. We are proud to continue to set the advocacy agenda to support the freedom and power of people with disabilities.
at Access Living
Access Living is the Center for Independent Living for the city of Chicago. We run advocacy and independent living programs to support people with disabilities live the lives we want to live. The majority of our staff, leadership and board are people with disabilities, reflecting our core value of consumer control–––nothing about us without us!
Our Advocacy Department works in collaboration with our Independent Living Department and Legal Department to create real options and freedom for self–determination of people with all kinds of disabilities. While our independent living services provide individual and peer group support in navigating life issues, our advocacy work creates systemic and community opportunities to protect and exercise our human rights.
The Advocacy Department is divided
into two main areas of action:
Community Development and Organizing (CDO) : Our CDO team is dedicated to developing the leadership of grassroots people with disabilities and working through community organizing to fight for social change.
Staff contact: Beto Barrera, Manager of Community Development, (312) 640–2111 or abarrera@accessliving.org (se habla Español).
Policy Analysis : Our Policy Team experts monitor, craft and respond to policies, regulations, programs and legislation that affect the disability community.
Staff contact: Amber Smock, Director of Advocacy, (312) 640–2191 or asmock@accessliving.org.
We also work to partner with our fellow disability organizations throughout Chicago and across the state of Illinois. Over the last thirty years, Access Living's staff have created social change for disability rights at the local, state, national and even international levels. We are proud to continue to set the advocacy agenda to support the freedom and power of people with disabilities.
| Title | Date |
|---|---|
| Community Organizing Community Organizing staff work to eliminate barriers to economic opportunity faced by people with disabilities.Read More | Mar 11th, 2008 |
| Advocacy -- Take Action Now Support advocacy initiatives of Access Living and the Disability Community. Read More | Fight for Independence in 2013 -- |
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| Title | Date |
|---|---|
| Employment First bill passes out of committee in Illinois On March 20, HB Bill 2591, Employment First for Persons with Disabilities, passed out of the Illinois House Human Services Committee. The bill, sponsored by Representative Golar, declares Illinois an Employment First State and establishes competitive employment in integrated settings as the first option for persons with disabilities in Illinois of working age Read More | March 20, 2013 |
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