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News

Title	Date
Action Alert! - Push for Closure of Jacksonville and Mabley Developmental CentersOn October 27 in the morning, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) will vote on whether to close the Mabley and Jacksonville Centers for People with Developmental Disabilities.	October 26, 2011
Action Alert!- Contact Illinois legislators and Governor Stop cuts to services that support people with disabilities Many legislators are still working to understand why we are fight so hard against budget cuts to services for people with disabilities. This week, your legislators are working from their home offices. Please give them a call and ask them to stop budget cuts to services that support people with disabilities.	March 23, 2011
Advocates begin work around legislative session During the legislative session, Access Living will advocate for issues and pieces of legislation that support the independence of people with disabilities.	February 25, 2013
Advocates celebrate the announced closure of the Howe Developmental CenterFor years, a coalition of disability advocates have fought for the closure of Howe Developmental Center, an institution in Tinley Park where more than 20 residents have died since 2005. On September 5, the Illinois Department of Human Services will host a news conference to announce the closure of the institution.	October 10, 2008
Advocates Give Governor an F, call for closure of Howe Developmental CenterOn May 30, a coalition called “Community for All” held a news conference in Tinley Park to raise awareness around conditions at Howe Development Center, which after years of pressure, investigations and initiatives, continue to be deplorable.	May 30, 2008

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
Disability Culture: Fe Fes travel to west coast for awareness eventOn April 13, I traveled with the Empowered Fe Fes to the State of Washington to speak at Eastern Washington University for a Disability Awareness Week conference. I am the Women & Girls Organizer for the Empowered Fe Fes, which is a group of young women with various disabilities who have worked for over 15 years together to explore the issues and struggles unique to young women with disabilities while spreading awareness about disability rights.	June 5, 2010
On the 20th Anniversary of ADA: Remarks by Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez at the National Disability Rights Network Annual Conference in Los AngelesMost people in our nation, when they think of “Civil Rights,” they think of Dr. King on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, of hundreds of protestors on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, of students at lunch counters and university doors.	June 11, 2010
20th Anniversary ADA Events in Chicagoland and beyondNearly 20 years ago, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, proclaiming, “let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”	June 26, 2010
Illinois budget cuts threaten independence of people with disabilities A few weeks ago, Illinois announced millions of dollars in cuts to programs that support people with disabilities living independently in their own homes and communities. Statewide, the community is organizing to stop the cuts. Community based programs support the independence of people with disabilities and make fiscal sense — community services cost less than institutional services.	July 14, 2010
July 19, 2010 - Illinois Disability Community rallies to protect independenceDisability community rallies to protect independence Calls for state leadership to preserve cost efficient programs and raise revenueFacing budget cuts that could force people into costly institutions, disability advocates and organizations representing thousands of people with developmental, psychiatric and physical disabilities rallied outside the State of Illinois Building today. While Illinois faces a massive financial crisis, more than 20% of the service cuts announced last month impact people with disabilities.	July 20, 2010

Events Calendar

Title	Date
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Support GroupPeer Support A monthly peer group for people who are Deaf and hard or hearing.	3rd Wednesday of each month
Personal Assistant Informational SeminarJoin our pool of highly sought PA’s	March 14, 2012

Press Releases

Title	Date
IFF and Access Living Launch $19 Million Public-Private Partnership with the State of Illinois and Chase Under Home First Illinois, IFF will develop, own and manage accessible homes—integrated within the community—that will remain permanently affordable to very low-income, disabled persons who require accessible housing and who rely on Social Security SSI payments as their primary source of income.	December 16, 2011
Access Living rallies for jobs and Medicaid funding for people with disabilitiesAdvocates join National Day of Action to support independence for disabled On Thursday, November 17 at 3:30 p.m., people with disabilities from Access Living will join thousands of other advocates at the Jobs Not Cuts rally at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago as part of the National Day of Action. Access Living will call for investment in resources that employ people with disabilities, support people with disabilities while on the job, and eliminate physical, programmatic and social barriers that prevent people with disabilities from entering the workforce.	November 17, 2011
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
New legislation protects people with disabilities in hospitalsThe new legislation, which goes into effect January 1, 2012, represents the first effort in Illinois to assure that people with disabilities who need to be physically moved by hospital staff are protected with respect to their physical safety, dignity, and choice.	August 9, 2011
Disability advocates organize to restore budget cuts Cuts threaten independence of disabled and would cost State more money Throughout April and May, Access Living staff and consumers will meet with state legislators and senators, both at their home offices in Chicago and in Springfield. Disability advocates hope to get their support for services that help people with disabilities live in the community.	April 22, 2011

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 78Volume 78 of the Bullhorn, the Newsletter of Access Living, from October 2012.	January 10, 2013
The Bullhorn Volume 77The Bullhorn Volume 77 August 2012	January 10, 2013
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 75Volume 75 of the Bullhorn, the Newsletter of Access Living, published in April 2012	April 2012
The Bullhorn Volume 74Volume 74 of The Bullhorn, The Newsletter of Access Living	March 2012