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News and Events

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News

Title	Date
Landmark Agreement Will Expand Community Living Opportunities for People with Developmental Disabilities in IllinoisA groundbreaking agreement in Ligas v. Hamos, filed today in the federal district court in Chicago, will dramatically expand community living options for people with developmental disabilities	January 11, 2011
Access Living Core Issues PlatformFebruary 2011 Chicago Election Leading up to the February 22, 2010 Election in Chicago, Access Living and the disability community will work to ensure that the concerns of people with disabilities are addressed by Mayoral Candidates and other candidates for office, and that voters with disabilities have access to the election process.	December 20, 2010
2010 Annual Report Past is Prologue: 30 years of pride, independent living, and social change	December 16, 2010
Wheelchair user denied reasonable accommodations Allison Kessler, a 25-year-old medical student who uses a wheelchair, filed a complaint in the Northern District of Illinois against a condominium association in Chicago's Streeterville Neighborhood.	November 17, 2010
CHA Lowers Age Limit for Select Senior Buildings‘Reduced Age’ Senior Buildings Welcome Applicants Age 55 or Older	October 15, 2010

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
Continued work around Medicaid protection and reform On August 5, Access Living’s Task Force for Attendant Services will join other groups at Federal Plaza in Chicago to send a strong message about the importance of Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.	August 4, 2011
Web chat about seniors and nursing homes Every month, Judith Graham, the Chicago Tribune’s Health Reporter, hosts a live web chat on senior issues. This Tuesday, July 26, the discussion will focus on seniors and nursing homes.	July 22, 2011
National Campaign to Stop cuts to Medicaid National political leaders continue to target Medicaid as a way to trim federal spending. Cuts to Medicaid would come at the expense of people with disabilities and seniors, threatening resources that enable people to live independently. A new disability campaign urges the White House and Congress to reform, rather than cut, Medicaid by investing in community-based services that save money and enable independence.	July 13, 2011
Landmark Olmstead Supreme Court Ruling now 12 years old On June 22, 1999, the Supreme Court ruled in Olmstead v. L.C. that, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities was a form of unlawful discrimination.	June 22, 2011
Extra innings -- contact Springfield again to protect community supports Budget cuts are still pending. Please contact Springfield now to restore $430 Million to human services, including the Community Reintegration Program and Centers for Independent Living.	June 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