Join Today, or Sign-In if you're already a member.

Access Living

Access Living

Text: Small | LargeLayout: Wide | Narrow

About UsNews & EventsResourcesUniversal & Green DesignEmploymentContact UsDonate & Act Now

News & Events

News and Events

Print This Page Email Friend

News

Title	Date
Annual Appeal -- How Access Living makes a difference “Many people ask me to explain what exactly we do for people with disabilities. The best way for me to explain that is to share Zorytza's story.”	December 14, 2012
American Disability Community Denounces Failure to Pass Treaty in U.S. SenateA news release published by the US International Council on Disability in response to the failure of the US Senate to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.	December 4, 2012
Access Living celebrates full closure of Jacksonville Developmental CenterGovernor Quinn of Illinois announces that all residents of the Jacksonville Developmental Center have moved out of the institution and into the community.	November 30, 2012
Senator Reid Brings the CRPD to the Senate Floor Access Living Applauds U.S. Senate for considering ratification of treaty on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities	November 27, 2012
City’s Reimbursement Program to put more wheelchair accessible cabs on the streetsRTA, CITY OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCE $2.2 MILLION TAXI ACCESSIBILITY COST REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM	November 15, 2012

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
Support Accessible Transportation for People with DisabilitiesOn Thursday, November 17 the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) is holding a full committee hearing on The Americans with Disabilities Act and Accessible Transportation: Challenges and Opportunities. Access Living’s President & CEO, Marca Bristo, testified before the committee this morning.	November 17, 2011
Young and Old Unite to Fight Potentially Drastic Cuts Seniors, people with disabilities, and their allies rallied in support of services that enable people to live healthy and independent lives. Performing civil disobedience, they demanded that Illinois politicians protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.	November 7, 2011
Documentary on October 27 chronicles the History of America’s Disability Rights MovementNew documentary (features Access Living President) looks into a world inhabited by people determined to live their lives like everyone else, and chronicles a past when, because of physical, program, and social inaccessibility, millions of Americans lived without access to schools, employment, apartment buildings, and public transportation.	updated on October 24, 2011
Disability Advocates attend State Hearing to urge closure of institution for people with developmental disabilities. Access Living, a Chicago disability advocacy and services organization, will be sending a contingent of advocates to today’s State of Illinois legislative hearing on the closure of Mabley Developmental Center in Dixon, Illinois. The hearing will begin at 5 pm at the Dixon Theatre, 114 S. Galena Avenue in Dixon.	October 17, 2011
Daily Law Bulletin highlights Olmstead legal coalition work In late August, a coalition that includes Access Living, Equip for Equality, the ACLU of Illinois, SNR Denton, and the Law Offices of Steve Gold, announced a class-action settlement that will end the forced, long-standing and unnecessary segregation of people with physical disabilities or mental illness in nursing homes. This piece highlights the legal coalition work in this case and two others.	October 14, 2011

Events Calendar

Title	Date
Advocacy Appreciation Day -- Power to the PeoplePower to the People Presents an Advocacy Appreciation Day	June 19, 2013
Abilities Expo Chicago Abilities Expo Chicago is new, it’s exciting, it’s fun and it’s back on June 28-30, 2013 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center!	June 28-30, 2013
Are You Prepared? Town Hall Meeting on Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities Town Hall Meeting on Emergency Preparedness for people with disabilities	June 26, 2013
People with Disabilities Speak Out on Health Care DisparitiesAccess Living’s Health Policy Team and the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Department of Occupational Therapy invite you to a Town Hall meeting to discuss the state of health care for Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities	June 27, 2013
Access Living Open House Access Living invites you to the organization’s annual Open House. Thursday, June 27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.	June 27, 2013

Press Releases

Title	Date
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
Disability coalition testifies in Springfield on behalf of community-based services On April 22, Access Living, as part of the Community for All Coalition, testified in Springfield in support of community based services in the Illinois Budget.	April 22, 2010
Olmstead Settlement may transition thousands of people with disabilities into community-based settings A landmark agreement between the State of Illinois and thousands of persons with mental illnesses will result in significant reforms of Illinois’ outmoded, overcrowded and scandalized nursing home system.	March 15, 2010
Access Living Statement in Response to March 10 Budget Address Access Living statement in response to Governor Quinn’s Budget address	March 11, 2010
The Bullhorn - The Newsletter of Access Living Access Living’s bimonthly newsletter The Bullhorn, the newsletter of Access Living, is published bimonthly.	Jan 19th, 2010

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