Yearly Archives: 2023

Hello Hello Everyone!

Today (May 19)  is Day 5 of our week of actions, which is mask distribution day! We know that people are more likely to mask when they have easy access to them, and financial and logistical barriers to getting high quality masks like N95s and KN95s can mean people who want better protection may not be able to get it. 

DAY 5: Provide Free Masks in Your Community

Progress Center for Independent Living, in collaboration with PPE for People With Disabilities Coalition, has been providing KN95 masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) since the beginning of the pandemic. At one time, we were also helping the Dept. of Human Services provide large quantities of KN95 masks to non-profit organizations (we gave out over 75,000 masks!)

Our focus has been to provide PPE to people with disabilities and their Personal Assistants/Direct Support Professionals who live in Chicagoland, however, today we are offering to give people KN95 masks and hand sanitizer throughout Illinois. We can mail it to you for FREE!

If interested, please call Progress Center at (708) 209-1500 to speak with our front desk staff Marie Mister.

There are only two days left in the Illinois Legislative Session. Here is an action alert directed at legislation that will help end sub minimum wage for people with disabilities. This action alert is from material by Equip for Equality and Access Living.

A message from Equip for Equality:

All,

We have an opportunity to end subminimum wage for people with disabilities in IL by supporting HB 793, HFA 1, but we must act NOW.  The bill is set for hearing before the House Labor & Commerce Committee tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m.  A fact sheet in support of the bill is attached.

To read the full text of HB 793, HFA 1 bill: Click

To file an electronic witness slip on HB 793, HFA 1: Click

PLEASE FILE A WITNESS SLIP AS A PROPONENT OF THE BILL BY CLICKING ON THE LINK ABOVE AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO SO AS WELL.

Here is an information Sheet:

 2023-May 17-End Sub Minimum Wage_Support the Dignity in Pay Act (HB 793)

Thanks for your action and support!

This is an Action Alert shared by Equip for Equality regarding Accessible Vote by Mail. Thank you to Equip for Equality for creating this and sharing this.

ACTION ALERT:

Act Now to Ensure Accessibility of Vote by Mail for Voters with Print Disabilities, Military Families and Citizens Living Overseas

Tell Legislators to Support SB 282, SCA 1

Currently, Illinois voters with print disabilities (which includes people who are blind, low vision, have physical dexterity limitations or cognitive or learning disabilities) can receive, mark, and verify their vote by mail ballots electronically, using their own assistive technology.  However, they are required to print, sign, and return a paper ballot to their local election authority.  This requirement forces them to rely on assistance from a person without disabilities to complete and submit their ballots which, contrary to Title II of the ADA, deprives them of the right to vote privately and independently.  Military families and citizens living overseas also have the ability to receive vote by mail ballots electronically, but they are required to return them by mail.  This has been very problematic for military families serving abroad or relocating to new duty stations in the U.S., resulting in much lower voter participation rates.

To close this accessibility gap, voters with print disabilities must be able to return their vote by mail ballots electronically without relying on help from anyone else and military families and citizens living overseas must have that right as well.  SB 282, SCA 1 would allow voters with print disabilities as well as military service members, their families and citizens living overseas to return their vote by mail ballots electronically, beginning with the 2024 Primary Election.  The Illinois General Assembly is working on a large election law bill (called an “omnibus” bill) that will include provisions regarding various elections issues.  To give voters with print disabilities an opportunity to vote that is truly equal to voters without disabilities, and eliminate the voting problems faced by military families and citizens living overseas, it is critical that the language of SB 282, SCA 1 is included in the omnibus election law bill.

ACT NOW BY CALLING THESE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS TO URGE THEM TO SUPPORT AND INCLUDE SB 282, SCA 1 IN THE OMNIBUS ELECTION LAW BILL:

HOUSE

Rep. Chris Welch (Speaker of the House)—217-782-5350

Rep. Robyn Gabel (Majority Leader)—217-782-8052

Rep. Kelly Burke (Assistant Majority Leader)—217-782-0515

 SENATE

Sen. Don Harmon (President of the Senate)—217-782-8176

Sen. Kimberly Lightford (Majority Leader)—217-782-8505

IF ANY OF THE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS BELOW ARE YOUR PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR PLEASE CALL THEM AS WELL.  BE SURE TO TELL THEM YOU ARE ONE OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS!

HOUSE

Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth—217-782-3186

Rep, Mary Flowers—217-782-4207

Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez—217-782-8173

Rep. Jay Hoffman—217-782-0104

Rep. Natalie Manley—217-782-3316

Rep. Kam Buckner—217-782-2023

Rep. Aaron Ortiz—217-782-1117

Rep, Barbara Hernandez—217-558-1002

Rep. Marcus Evans—217-782-8272

Rep. Robert Rita—217-558-1000

SENATE

Sen. Bill Cunningham—217-782-5145

Sen. Mattie Hunter—217-782-5966

Sen. Linda Holmes—217-782-0422

Sen. Laura Murphy—217-782-3875

Sen. David Koehler—217-782-8250

Sen. Napoleon Harris—217-782-8066

Sen. Cristina Castro—217-782-7746

Sen. Elgie Sims—217-782-3201

Over the past two days, Access Living and Equip for Equality have posted action alerts to build support for SB 282, “which would create full Accessible Vote by Mail.”  Thank you to both organizations for creating alerts.  Below is the Access Living alert. Please read the alert below and take action by sending an email to your State Senator in support of SB 282.

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Access Living friends and allies,

Today ( posted May 1, 2023), we’d like to ask for your help to tell Illinois legislators that this spring’s elections legislation needs to include accessible vote by mail, also known as AVBM. While vote by mail is available across the state, it is not necessarily accessible for many voters. Blind and visually impaired voters cannot use print ballots without assistance. Other voters who have what is called “print disabilities” include many voters who have difficulty holding pens and manipulating paper. AVBM means that you should be able to have a ballot emailed to you, you can fill it out only, and then you can email it back.

Last year, disability voting advocates won the statewide right to have vote by mail ballots emailed to them on request. But you still have to print the ballot out, sign it, put it in an envelope, and return it. This process is inaccessible for many people. Leaders, led by the National Federation of the Blind Illinois, are asking for the community’s support for the Illinois bill SB 282, which would create full AVBM.

How can you help? You can send a quick email to your Illinois State Senator at this link. We need people to contact their Illinois State Senators NOW. For more details on the issue, read the below call to action.

SUPPORT SB 282 TO ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY OF VOTE BY MAIL FOR VOTERS WITH PRINT DISABILITIES 

Background

In 2022, the Illinois General Assembly passed, and Governor Pritzker signed into law, SB 829/P.A. 102-819, which established a remote accessible vote by mail system that allows voters with print disabilities to electronically receive, mark and verify, but not return, their vote by mail ballots using their own assistive technology.

The Problem

Currently, voters with print disabilities must print, sign and return their vote by mail ballots to the local election authority by mail or in person. This requirement forces voters with print disabilities to seek assistance from a person without a print disability to complete the vote by mail process, depriving them of the right to vote privately and independently. For vote by mail to be accessible to voters with print disabilities, they must be able to privately and independently mark and return their vote by mail ballots as required by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and affirmed by federal courts in Maryland, Michigan, Maine, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York.

The Solution

SB 282 will allow voters with print disabilities to return their vote by mail ballots electronically and ensure that voters with print disabilities can vote by mail privately and independently at home, work, or other convenient location, using a computer and their own assistive technology.  It will also ensure that electronic documents and web pages that must be used as part of the remote vote by mail system are accessible to voters with print disabilities. 13 states already allow voters with disabilities to return their vote by mail ballots electronically: CO, DE, HI, IN, LA, ME, MA, NV, NC, ND, RI, UT, and WV.  SB 282 will afford voters with print disabilities an opportunity to vote by mail that is equal to that afforded to voters without disabilities, namely, without assistance, and bridge the accessibility gap that currently exists in vote by mail in Illinois.  To read the full text of SB 282: Click.

The undersigned organizations stand in strong support of SB 282:

National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, Illinois Council of the Blind, Equip for Equality, Access Living, Reform for Illinois, The Chicago Lighthouse, Thresholds, Chicago Hearing Society, Disability Lead, Institute on Disability and Human Development-University of Illinois Chicago, Progress Center for Independent Living, Illinois Assistive Technology Program, Don Moss & Associates, Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, Brain Injury Association of Illinois, The Arc of Illinois, Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living

Please share this information with fellow voting advocates!

Statement from Progress Center Executive Director Horacio Esparza on Judith Heumann

English Language Statement

Judy Heumann,

Your unexpected departure left me inert, exhausted, without being able to articulate words for more than twenty-four hours, without knowing what to say about all that I can say about you… about how great you were; of everything great that you did and that you achieved in favor of people with disabilities.

Judy, you not only dedicated your life to the movement of people with disabilities, you also gave the world your inexhaustible source of generosity and that wisdom that only the gifted can give to their peers.

Judy, I will never forget those evenings when together with your husband (Jorge Pineda — who is my great friend) we spent hours talking about the direct or indirect injustices of society. But, also during those talks, I was captivated by that great passion of yours when you talked about your great love for children, and especially for children with disabilities.

Judy, we will miss you… the world will lack your voice, but there you left all that legacy to remind the world that you are still present and fighting for the same cause, for that cause to which you dedicated your own life… for that cause for which I believe you were born to fight.

I had the longing hope that I would be able to see you and Jorge again this coming summer in Washington during the annual NCIL (National Council on Independent Living) Conference, but you are gone, because the times are not ours, but everything you leave us is infinitely invaluable, extraordinary.  You have left us a very advanced journey, but with a still very long way to go.

Thank you Judy, for all your great effort so that the world has a better future of inclusion in all fields for people with disabilities.

Horacio Esparza

Spanish Language Statement

Judy Heumann,

Tu inesperada partida me dejó inerte, exhausto, sin poder articular palabras durante más de veinte-cuatro  horas, sin saber que decir de todo lo tánto que yo puedo decir de ti… de todo lo grande que tú fuiste; de todo lo grande que tú hiciste y que tú lograste en pro de las personas con discapacidad.

Judy, tú no solamente dedicaste tu vida al movimiento de las personas con discapacidad, tú también le diste al mundo tu inagotable fuente de generosidad y de esa sapiencia que sólo aquellos sobredotados pueden darle a los semejantes.

Judy, yo nunca olvidaré aquellas tardes cuando junto con tu esposo (Jorge Pineda), (quien es mi gran amigo) nosotros pasamos horas hablando de las injusticias directas o indirectas de la sociedad. Pero también durante esas charlas, yo quedaba embelesado con esa gran pasión tuya cuando hablabas de tu gran amor por los niños, y especialmente por los niños con discapacidad.

Judy, te extrañaremos… al mundo le faltará tu voz, pero allí dejaste todo ése legado para recordarle al mundo que tú sigues presente y luchando por la misma causa, por ésa causa a la que le dedicaste tu propia vida… por ésa causa por la que yo creo que tú naciste para luchar.

Yo tenía la anhelante esperanza de poder volver a verlos a ti y a Jorge este próximo verano en Washington durante la conferencia anual de NCIL, pero te has ido, porque los tiempos no son los nuestros, pero todo lo que nos dejas es infinitamente invaluable , extraordinario. Nos has dejado un trayecto muy avanzado, pero con un camino aún muy largo por recorrer.

Gracias Judy, por todo tu gran esfuerzo para que el mundo tenga un mejor futuro de inclusión en todos los campos para las personas con discapacidad.

Horacio Esparza

• HB3629 – (increases PNA, adds enforcement for anti-retaliation, helps keep people out of facilities)
• HB3716 – creates a task force to plan a transformation of long term care so people with disabilities and elders have a real choice for getting home or community-based care, instead of a facility

• SB2262 combines provisions of both of the above

Call for Applications

Progress Center, in partnership with Chicago ADAPT, proudly announces a Call for Applications for the Larry Biondi Fellowship for Radical Thought & Action.  Applicants selected will be part of the inaugural cohort of Larry Biondi Fellows.  The application is a PDF Form. Please download the form to complete the application.  If you would like the application in an alternative format, please email  biondifund@gmail.com. 

The Larry Biondi Fellowship for Radical Thought & Action Application

The Call for applications is now open for the Larry Biondi Fellowship for Radical Thought & Action. If you are interested in a paid 4-6 month fellowship working on projects that advance the work of two leading disability rights organizations in the Chicago area, we look forward to hearing from you.  The Larry Biondi Fellowship is an opportunity for talented, disability-rights minded individuals to participate in four to six months of paid project-focused activity that advances the work of two disability-rights organizations: Chicago ADAPT and Progress Center for Independent Living.

For more information and for the application, please download the application.  If you would like the form in a different format, please contact biondifund@gmail.com.

Download the Application here:  LBFFellowApplicationFINAL

Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on People with Disabilities

The National Council on Disability (NCD) hosted a Quarterly Meeting on December 8, 2022.  Kira Meskin, a Progress Center Community Reintegration Advocate, along with two others, submitted public comment to NCD for its quarterly meeting. The comments were accepted and incorporated into the record of the National Council on Disability Quarterly Meeting.  The comments were titled:  “Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on People with Disabilities and Underlying Medical Conditions: Challenging and Addressing the Failures of the CDC’s Current COVID-19 Guidelines.” The comments address the failure of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to integrate the needs and concerns of the disabled into CDC recommendations and guidelines.

These comments were written and submitted by:

Kira Meskin Schiff, OTD, OTR/L, CAPS, ECHM, ADAC

Megan E. Doherty, PhD

Todd Holloway, Disability Inclusion Advisor

Progress Center is grateful for the work of Meskin, Doherty and Holloway to produce and publish this document. The full comments are available for download on this page.

Download the comments here: 2022-December — public comment to NCD — about CDC guidelines 2Public.Comment.NCD.Meskin.Doherty.Holloway

This week, President Biden announced that the National Public Health Emergency connected to the Covid-19 Pandemic would end in the spring. The date for the end of the emergency is set as May 11, 2023.  Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois made a similar announcement. The end of the Public Health Emergency will impact millions of people in Illinois and around the country.  Yesterday, (February 1, 2023) Access Living, the Center for Independent Living that serves Chicago, shared a message with information about how the end of the emergency will impact people.  In this post, Progress Center is reposting the content shared by Access Living on February 1, 2023.

Here is the post from Access Living:

What is the PHE? At the beginning of the Covid pandemic, the President declared a Public Health Emergency (PHE), which allowed the federal government greater flexibility in its capacity to address urgent needs related to Covid. Governors also issued their own PHEs to allow state agencies to act with greater speed and flexibility. Examples of disability-related exceptions under the PHE include:

-Waiving or modifying certain Medicare and Medicaid requirements, such as for enrollment

-Allowing increased use of telehealth

-Adjusting or increasing certain benefits like SNAP

-Disaster relief payments, which many disabled people have used

What will happen when the PHE ends on May 11? The ending of the PHE means that several government systems, as well as government-funded provided, will see changes—but many changes made during the pandemic will also stay. See this news article from the AP for a good overview from a national perspective. The ending of the PHE means possible changes in accessing Covid tests, vaccines, and treatments; access to Medicaid; student loan forgiveness; immigration at US borders; telehealth; SNAP; state Covid emergencies; and hospital funding.

If you live in Illinois, what do you need to know? First, if you rely on Illinois Medicaid, you absolutely need to make sure that your name and contact information is up to date, so you are not bumped off Medicaid. You can do that at this link, which also offers a phone or TTY option. Second, if you participate in SNAP, you need to know that as of March 1, SNAP money will return to pre-pandemic levels. During the pandemic, there were extra funds called Emergency Allotments. Those will stop starting March 1. This will affect about two million people statewide. See this news article about the SNAP change and this page from DHS about the SNAP changes. It is very important to make sure your ABE case information is up to date at this link, so you can receive the maximum SNAP benefits possible when the PHE ends.

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Progress Center is grateful to Access Living for developing and sharing this information.   Progress Center will continue to share information as we approach the end of the Public Health Emergency.