Our Annual Report Fiscal Year 2020
We’re Leading The Way
Even during these challenging times, Access Living is leading the way toward a world free from barriers and discrimination, where disability is a respected and natural part of the human experience and people with disabilities are included and valued.
We’re a center of service, advocacy, and social change for people with disabilities led and run by a majority of people with disabilities in Chicago. We ignite disability power and pride, provide critical services so that disabled people can live independently, and break down systemic barriers to create a stronger, more inclusive society.
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From Our President and CEO
Dear Access Living friends and allies,
Since I assumed the CEO role at Access Living in March 2020, our world has dramatically changed. We have faced a rising global pandemic leaving hundreds of thousands dead – too many of them people with disabilities. We are confronting a long overdue racial reckoning in our country and even in the disability community. An unprecedented economic crisis has further frayed our already fragile social safety net.
Access Living has risen to face the challenges before us – providing relief funds directly to Chicagoans with disabilities, defending our healthcare, education, housing and transportation, working to become a more racially equitable organization from the inside and on the outside through our racial justice policy and community organizing work here in Chicago.
Our mission has taken on a new sense of urgency. We can’t ignore the fact that people with disabilities are among the most diverse and fastest growing segment of the population. Disability is universal, it is intersectional and it touches us all.
We must use this moment as an opportunity to create a more just, equitable and accessible future for all people with disabilities – in Chicago and across the nation.
And Access Living – through our supports and services alongside our systems change advocacy, is well positioned to tackle the challenges AND seize the opportunities that lie ahead.
But we can only do this with your partnership and your support. Thank you for joining us in the fight that lies ahead.
Karen Tamley
President and CEO
Access Living
We’re On The Front Line
The pandemic has shown the cracks in the system in every issue area Access Living works on. In a sense, the COVID-19 pandemic amplified what people with disabilities already know – and have known for a long time — that too many of us are without resources, accessibility and services in the best of times. Learn more about how COVID-19 has impacted disabled people and what Access Living has done to provide support.
Our Consumers
By Primary Disabilities
By Age
By Race
Our Services
2,013
Consumers took advantage of our Information and Referral services.
183
New consumers with disabilities worked on their independent living skills to transition out of nursing homes.
158
Disabled Chicagoans were referred to Access Living’s Family Housing Choice Voucher Program.
117
Personal assistant trainings were held to empower people with disabilities in their daily lives.
107
High school youth with disabilities prepared to transition into higher education or the workforce through our youth leadership trainings.
71
Nursing home facilities were visited to provide a series of 15 six-week onsite independent living training courses.
49
Disabled consumers got assistive technology devices and the necessary training to use them to live more independently.
44
Households received our housing counseling services to improve living conditions.
36
Disabled consumers graduated from an 11-week financial literacy training, and shared that they have improved their financial positions as a result.
35
People with disabilities seeking to move out of nursing homes and into communities of their choice were provided housing location and transition services.
29
Cross-disability support group sessions were held to offer peer support during the pandemic.
100%
Of the people who worked with us on improving their independent living skills said they learned useful things to lead better lives.
Our Civil Rights Team
499
People learned about the fair housing rights of people with disabilities.
133
Housing complaints were assessed.
43
Consumers in fair housing and ADA cases were represented. Favorable results received in 21 cases.
Defending Our Rights
Education
We published our annual review of the Chicago Public Schools special education budget, along with a supporting analysis detailing the accessibility of school buildings.
Healthcare
In response to our advocacy, the State of Illinois issued crisis standards of care guidance that banned disability discrimination in hospitals during COVID-19.
Housing and Transportation
We held Amtrak accountable for charging $25,000 for two accessible seats on a trip to Bloomington-Normal, and are now allying with Senator Duckworth’s office to improve disability access on Amtrak.
Latinxs and Immigration
Access Living established the Disability and Immigration Taskforce of Illinois to support immigrants with disabilities in multiple ways.
Incarceration
We established both a county and a national working group aiming to reduce the incarceration of people with disabilities in jail.
Racial Justice
We re-introduced the Community Emergency Services and Supports Act, leading to broader discussions about non-police emergency response for mental health/behavioral crises.
Our Disability Arts and Culture Project
Collaborating Arts Organizations
Collaborating Artists
Our 2020 Board of Directors
Officers
John Schmidt – Board Chair, Mayer Brown LLP
Tuyet Le – Vice-Chair
Kent Klaus – Treasurer, DePaul University
Felicia Rauls – Secretary, Mesirow Financial
Doug Dobmeyer – Program Committee Chair
ShaRhonda Crystal Knott Dawson – Program Committee Vice-Chair
Kristin Weaver – Resource Development & Communications Committee Chair, The Northern Trust
Jennifer Brown – Resource Development & Communications Committee Vice-Chair
Ben Lumicao – Nominating & Board Development Committee Chair, Allstate
Elliot J. Roth, MD – Nominating & Board Development Committee Vice-Chair, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Members
Ken Bennett
Kevin Bradley, Zebra Technologies
Andrés J. Gallegos, Esq., Robbins, Salomon, & Patt, Ltd.
Dr. Larry Goodman
William Haffner
Hon. Neil F. Hartigan
Tara John, BMO
Dr. Zachary Kordik, Modern Mental Health
Wilson Mantilla, Peoples Gas
Mark Owen
Shari Runner, The Humanity Institute
Mike Santay, Grant Thornton
Kurt Schulenburg, EY
Molly Walsh, J.P. Morgan
Joan Wolfensberger
Our Young Professionals Council
Justin Cooper, President
Rachel Wittenberg, Social Media Chair
Laura Maule, Secretary & Friendraising Chair
Michelle Bonin, Friendraising Chair
Ellis Wills-Begley, Recruitment Chair
John William Abbate
Joshua Adams
Azeema Akram
Chris Alessia
Nora Ames
Sarah Arora
Natalia Avila
Margot Macaulay Babington
Becky Baker
Ray Baker
Vishal Bansal
Molly M. Bathje
Brianna Beck
Drew Beres
Jasmine Betancourt
Bavna Bhagavat
Maggie Bridger
Jenny Burke
Jezabel Cardenas
Tonera Chiume
Candace Coleman
Kate Connolly
Carson Creamer
Elizabeth Cummings
Timothy M. Curtis
Melissa Dappen
Anton Dietzen
Abby L. Draper
Chelsea Emond
Bridget Evans
Haley Elizabeth Feller
Alicia Gallegos
Katie Garvey
Tara Giuliano
Kevin Griffin
Emily Hall
Jess Hauert
Jenna Heffron
Bradley Stavros Heit
Stephen D. Hiatt-Leonard
Russell Houser
Rachel Howland
Megan Hufnagel
Kelsey Ibach
Ben Jacobi
Leigh Juranitch
Adam Kahn
Ravi Kasi
Kapil Kumar
Angela Larson
Josh Lewis
Jonathan Lira
Zhiying Ma
Chaitanya Manchanda
Amy Mashburn
Ryan McGraw
Janie Mejias
Abraham Melendez
Kaitlin Miller
Aziza Nassar
Greg Oguss
Neel Patel
Shivam Patel
Viki Peer
David Pirszel
Boss Povieng
Caitlin Powers
Caitlin Regan
Sylvie Sabones
Elizabeth Schroeder
Ray Shipley
Morgan Stasell
Alan Stupnitsky
Maggie Sugrue
Glenna Sullivan
Alex Tapas
Kim The
Hannah Thompson
Ismail Umer
Will Vandenberg
Amelia Wallrich
Kelsey Watters
Alli Wickes
Temaka Williams
Elizabeth Wirtz
Robert Zimmerman
Russell Zimmerman
Our Impact: A Look Back
During her 40 years as Access Living’s founding President and CEO, Marca Bristo, who passed away in 2019, changed hearts and minds. At our 2020 virtual gala, Lead On LIVE, we celebrated Marca’s life along with the 40th Anniversary of Access Living and the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Access Living’s Board Chair John Schmidt sets the stage, as we take a look back at Marca’s work and legacy; the driving forces behind the passage of the ADA and its impact on the disability community; and how disability advocates laid the groundwork for the work Access Living is doing today.
Our 2020 Gala Sponsors
Legacy Sponsors
Anniversary Sponsors
Visionary Sponsors
2020 Gala Marca Bristo Tribute Committee
2020 Gala Leadership Sponsors
Our Funders
Corporations and Foundations
Individual Donors
In-Kind Donors
Major Gifts Campaign
Marca Bristo Legacy Campaign
Memorial Gifts
Planned Giving Legacy Society
Public Funding
Tribute Gifts
Our Financials
For security purposes, we post our financials as a PDF. Download our statements of financial position: June 30, 2020 and 2019.