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Title Date
Colbert v. Quinn, Notice of Fairness Hearing Colbert v. Quinn is a class action case filed on behalf of people with disabilities who receive Medicaid and live in nursing homes in Cook County, Illinois. The case was originally filed in August of 2007. A settlement agreement was announced on August 30, 2011. If approved by the court, the settlement will offer people with disabilities in Cook County nursing homes the choice to transition from the nursing home, and live in apartments or homes of their choice in the community.

A Fairness Hearing is scheduled for December 20, 2011.

 		December 20, 2011
Access Living’s response to news of institution closures in Illinois Revenue must be set aside for community infrastructure Governor Quinn’s September 8th announcement to close large institutions for people with disabilities indicates an opportunity to rebalance Illinois’ system of long-term care. But closing institutions can not be done strictly as a budget cutting move. More than anyone else, the decision to close institutions impacts people with disabilities. September 9, 2011
2011-ColbertAnnouncement-Lenil NURSING HOME RESIDENTS WITH DISABILITIES CELEBRATE PROPOSED AGREEMENT WITH STATE IN LANDMARK LAWSUIT Proposed Agreement brings residents one step closer to expanded opportunities for community living and meaningful individual choice August 30, 2011
Review of the FY2012 Chicago Public Schools Budget Annual Review of the Chicago Public School’s Budget August 24, 2011
Housing Assistance Available For Hard-hit HomeownersIncome reduction due to unemployment or severe under-employment? Click for help.The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) has partnered with the U.S. Department of Treasury to offer temporary mortgage payment assistance to households that are struggling with income loss due to unemployment or underemployment... August 22, 2011
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Lead On: The Access Living Blog

Disability Rights & Empowerment

Access Living is committed to the advancement and empowerment of people with disabilities in Chicago and nationwide. Our programs and services represent a multifaceted approach in attaining this goal.
Title Date
Text of Speech Against Managed Care on August 12.On August 12, scores of people with disabilities who are against a new program, that will force 40,000 people with disabilities into managed care, rallied in downtown Chicago. During the program in Daley Plaza, Tom Wilson of Access Living delivered a speech against managed care and the new program August 27, 2010
Bob Kafka and Steve Gold FY 2009 Institution vs Community-FY 2009 Breakdown of Medicaid Services for Older and Younger Americans with DisabilitiesSteve Gold is a civil rights attorney based in Philadelphia. He has collaborated and still collaborates with Access Living on disability rights cases, including the pending “Colbert” case that was filed on behalf of people with disabilities in nursing homes in Illinois. September 1, 2010
No Place Like Home No place like home, April 16, 2010Access Living offers peer oriented, independent living services to individuals with disabilities. One such program is the Deinstitutionalization (DI) Program. The program was created in response to Illinois disproportional support of institutional care. Though the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead Supreme Court ruling of 1999 both give people with disabilities the right to receive services in their own home, thousands of people are forced into institutions because no community options exist. September 1, 2010
Rod Estvan Testifies at CPS Annual Review of Chicago Public Schools BudgetAccess Living’s Summary Analysis of the CPS FY 2011 BudgetEvery year Access Living’s Education Policy Analyst, Rodney Estvan, reviews and presents an analysis of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Fiscal Year Budget. CPS currently has about 54,000 students with disabilities enrolled in its 680 traditional, charter, and contract schools. The total FY2011 budget for CPS, including for capital and debt payments, is about $6.4 billion. September 9, 2010
New Directions in Special Education Events at Access Living the Week of September 20, 2010The week of September 20, Access Living will host two community events that are free and open to the public. September 23, 2010
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Events Calendar

Title Date
2013-gala-invite-3 The Access Living “Lead On!” Award Gala Join Access Living as we honor Lifetime Champion for the Civil Rights of People with Disabilities Senator Bob Dole
and Disability Activist Susan Nussbaum with the “Lead On!” Award. 		June 3, 2013
2013-BodiesofWork Creative Movement Workshop A Creative Movement Workshop May 14, 2013
2013-Nussbaum-Gala Good Kings, Bad Kings The Chicago playwright Susan Nussbaum signs and reads from her first novel, Good Kings, Bad Kings,for which she received the 2012 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. May 18, 2013
2013-BodiesofWork 2013 Bodies of Work Festival In May of this year, Chicago will host the 11-day Bodies of Work Festival. Featuring visual and performing arts that highlight the work of artists with disabilities, the festival celebrates national and international artists with disabilities who are creating cutting-edge theater, dance, literature, poetry, spoken word, film, and visual/performance art. May -- 2013
2012-billboard-dimove-2 Stepping Stones A peer support group for people with disabilities who have just moved out of institutions and into their own homes through the Access Living Community Reintegration program. Tuesdays in the Spring 2013
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Press Releases

Title Date
Committee for the Integration of Latinos with Disabilities - Embedded 6th Annual Building Bridges to Independence Conference:Press ReleaseChicago, IL - On September 27, 2008, the Committee for the Integration of Latinos with Disabilities (CILD), DePaul University College of Law’s Special Education Advocacy Clinic and Town of Cicero President Larry Dominick will present the 6th Annual Building Bridges to Independence Conference: Empowering Communities, Individuals with Disabilities, and Their Families. Sep 25th, 2008
A Huge Step Forward for People with Mental IllnessHistoric agreement reached to transition Illinois residents unnecessarily housed in large, impersonal nursing homesLast week was a good week for people with mental illness in Illinois. On Thursday, a federal judge granted preliminary approval for an historic agreement between the State of Illinois and thousands of people with psychiatric disabilities represented by a number of advocacy groups, including Access Living, and a private law firm - led, in this case, by the ACLU of Illinois - that will give thousands of people with mental illness an opportunity, if they choose, to move out of large, private nursing homes and into community-based settings. This agreement marks a sea change in Illinois state policy - which for far too long has relied on troubled, sometimes dangerous nursing homes to serve people with mental illness. June 14, 2010
Access Living analysis of FY 2013 CPS Budget critical of disability cuts Report calls for restoration of funds and move toward Universal Design Prior to each school year, Access Living publishes a review of CPS funding priorities and initiatives related to special education and students with disabilities. Access Living’s FY 2013 analysis examines the impact of CPS Budget decisions on students with disabilities. August 15, 2012
Access Living applauds Governor Quinn’s closure announcement Urges shift from institutional to community support for people with disabilitiesAccess Living statement responds to January 19, 2012 announcement from Governor Quinn on closure of Tinley Park Mental Health Center and Jacksonville Developmental Center. January 20, 2012
Access Living applauds institution closure, commitment to community

Urges support for services that promote independence for people with disabilitiesAccess Living responds to Illinois Governor Quinn’s February 22 Budget Address. 		February 23, 2012
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The Bullhorn - The Newsletter of Access Living

Access Living’s bimonthly newsletter

The Bullhorn, the newsletter of Access Living, is published bimonthly.
Title Date
The Bullhorn - Volume 76The Newsletter of Access Living Volume 76 of the Bullhorn, the Newsletter of Access Living, published in June of 2012. January 9, 2013
The Bullhorn Volume 73The Newsletter of Access Living Volume 73 of the Bullhorn, the Newsletter of Access Living, published in January 2012 January 2012
The Bullhorn Volume 74Volume 74 of The Bullhorn, The Newsletter of Access Living March 2012
The Bullhorn Volume 75Volume 75 of the Bullhorn, the Newsletter of Access Living, published in April 2012 April 2012
The Bullhorn Volume 77The Bullhorn Volume 77 August 2012 January 10, 2013
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