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News

Title	Date
Access Living leader elected president of International Disability GroupOn March 6, Access Living’s Marca Bristo was elected President of the United States International Council on Disability (USICD). Committed to international disability rights, USICD is a federation comprised of the leading disability organizations with international agendas and national memberships, government agencies with a deep interest in international disability affairs, and individuals committed to international disability rights.	April 28, 2007
Disability Rights Leader honored as Chicagoan of the YearRecognizing her local, national, and international leadership, Chicago Magazine recently honored Marca Bristo as a “Chicagoan of the Year” for 2007.	January 25, 2008
DePaul University study of costs and benefits of employing people with disabilities finds few risks to employersA study released on January 28, 2008 conducted by a team of researchers at DePaul University found that employees with disabilities from the healthcare, retail and hospitality sectors in the region were just as dependable and productive as employees without disabilities.	February 5, 2008
New Report Identifies Gaps And Inefficient Utilization Of Resources For Illinois’ Developmentally Disabled InitiativesOn Thursday, February 14, the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities hosted a news conference to announce the release of two reports that analyze gaps in services to people with developmental disabilities and that propose recommendations for addressing the gaps.	February 18, 2008
Access Living milestone a dream come true for Anton Taylor“It’s like a breath of fresh air,” said Anton Taylor, letting out a small sigh, thinking about his new apartment. Back in early 2004, Taylor moved into a southside nursing home for what he believed to be a short stay. Years later, Taylor was still in the nursing home.	March 18, 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
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
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, 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
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
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

Events Calendar

Title	Date
Personal Assistant Informational SeminarJoin our pool of highly sought PA’s	March 14, 2012
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
Task Force on Attendant ServicesThe Task Force on Attendant Services organizes consumers to expand and defend home and community services for people with disabilities of all ages.	Group meets the first Wednesday of each month
The Disability Rights Action Coalition for Housing, (DRACH)HousingA twice monthly meeting of housing advocates who work to enforce and implement the housing rights of people with disabilities. The group meets the second Tuesday and fourth Thursday of each month.	4th Thursday of every Month and 2nd Tuesday of every month.

Press Releases

Title	Date
Colbert v. Quinn News Release (2007)Illinois Residents Sue State Officials For Violating Americans With Disabilities Act, Failing To Provide Community ServicesA group of Illinois residents with disabilities asked a federal court today to force state officials to comply with the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), adopted seventeen years ago.	August 22, 2007
The Trujillo Case: Wheelchair user gains access to front door Settlement ends building policy discriminatory against people with disabilitiesCHICAGO – The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois today entered a consent decree resolving a discrimination case brought by a disabled nine-year boy, his parents and the United States against the Triumvera Tower Condominium Association of Glenview, Illinois. The decree mandates the elimination of a policy that discriminated against wheelchair users and awards $83,500 in damages, penalties and attorneys’ fees.	Jun 11th, 2008
Access Living headquarters earns Gold LEED CertificationPress ReleaseIn late July, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded Access Living’s building at 115 West Chicago Avenue Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification. Gold LEED is a landmark sustainability award; the second highest rating a green building can receive.	August 4, 2008
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
Renaissance 2010 and students with disabilities New report finds that students with disabilities do no better at Renaissance 2010 Schools	May 27, 2009

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