Author Archives: garnold

Join us for the 31st Annual Meeting of Progress Center for Independent Living

“Together, let’s fight for our independence and for our rights.”

Power is in the Numbers! Come and Be a Part of the Action!

Be There- find out what’s new:

• Advocating for people with disabilities on State and Federal Levels
• Housing in the Community for People with Disabilities
• Celebrating the Overtime Victory and payment of Personal Attendants
• How to Get Involved in the Membership and Outreach Committee
• Renew Your Membership in order to stay involved, to stay informed and to continue to vote
• Cast Your Vote to Elect New Members of our Board of Directors

31st Annual Meeting of Progress Center for Independent Living

Saturday, June 22, 2019, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (Program Starts at 1 p.m.)

Calumet Township Community Center                                                                                                                                            

12633 South Ashland Avenue                                                                                                                                                     

Calumet City, Illinois

Bring friends, neighbors and relatives!

Accommodations:  The meeting site is accessible. ASL Interpreter will be provided.  Do you need handouts in other formats? Other Accommodations?  Contact Clark:  708-209-1500, cclark@progresscil.org

2019 Membership and Appreciation Luncheon

Join Progress Center for lunch on May 2 as we celebrate the Annual Membership & Appreciation Luncheon.

The event is dedicated to the outstanding advocacy work of Progress Center’s dedicated members.  All are encouraged to attend, and to bring family and friends.  At the event, you will learn about programs and services offered by Progress Center.

What:   The 2019 Membership and Outreach Appreciation Luncheon

When:    Wednesday, May 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Where:  Howard Mohr Community Center, 7640 Jackson Boulevard, Forest Park, Illinois  60130

For more information and to RSVP, contact lbiondi@progresscil.org

Town Hall Meeting – Disability and Healthcare in Illinois

Progress Center for Independent Living will host a Town Hall Meeting on Managed Care and healthcare issues impacting people with disabilities.  The event will include presentations about have to navigate managed care and current issues impacting the community.  This is an opportunity to gather information, learn self-advocacy tools, and share your concerns about the healthcare landscape.

 When:   Thursday, May 9th, 2019, 1:00 – 3:30 PM

Where:  Oak Park Public Library (Main Branch), 834 W. Lake St, 2^nd Floor (Veteran’s Room), Oak Park IL, 60301

 For accommodation requests, questions, and more information, please contact Larry Biondi @ 708.209.1500 Ext # 24.

 As an accommodation, all participants are asked not to wear scented products.

Progress Center is part of the Make Medicare Work Coalition, which also includes Age Options and Smart Policy Works.

Governor Pritzker’s 2019 Budget Address

Advocacy staff from Progress Center for Independent Living will be in Springfield on February 20, 2019 for Governor JB Pritzker’s first Budget Address as the governor of Illinois. “I look forward to hearing the address and hearing about budget line items,” said Larry Biondi, Progress Center’s Advocacy Coordinator.  “We hope that the governor will financially support programs that expand resources for people with disabilities to live in inclusive, integrated community settings.”

During his term in office, Governor Rauner introduced policy that threatened the independence of people with disabilities who utilize personal assistants through the Illinois Home Services Program.  The policy limited the number of hours a personal assistant could work for one person with a disability, and limited the number of hours a personal assistant could work during the week. As a result, some people with disabilities were forced to search, sometime unsuccessfully, for new personal assistants.  Personal assistants are a key link to independence for thousands of people with disabilities. Without them, many people with disabilities would end up in nursing homes.

“We spent much of Governor Rauner’s term in office fighting to protect people with disabilities against institutionalization,” said Clark Craig, a community organizer with Progress Center.  “With the new administration, we hope for policy that will protect our right to live the community, not policy against which we have to protect ourselves.”  Both Biondi and Craig will be in Springfield on February 20.  They will speak with legislators about:

• Funding for Centers for Independent Living
• Ending Sub-Minimum Wage for People with Disabilities
• Ensuring people who receive Medicaid can access community-based services
• Legislation for supports early education for children who are Deaf

As a Center for Independent Living, Progress Center provides services and conducts advocacy that supports the independence of people with disabilities.  Progress Center serves Suburban Cook County. Progress Center is one of 22 Centers for Independent Living in Illinois.  For more information, contact 708-209-1500.

On Thursday, January 31, 2019, the Progress Center office will remain closed.  We plan to reopen on Friday, February 1.  We hope that everyone is staying safe and warm during these extreme conditions. For information about local warming centers and other resources, please visit this link on the ABC 7 website.  For emergency situations, please contact 911.

Thank you,

Progress Center

December 17, 2018

Dear Friends of Progress Center,

In 2018, Progress Center celebrated 30 years of service in Suburban Cook County.  Since 1988, we have been providing people with disabilities with information, resources, and support that equip people with disabilities with the tools to be independent in their own homes and communities.  Like many years throughout our history, 2018 was a strong year for Progress Center.  In the past 12 months, Progress Center:

• Launched a new transition program designed to give young people with disabilities skills and resources to succeed after high school
• Produced weekly episodes of Radio Independiente, which airs on Univision Radio AM 1200 and four internet stations, reaching 2,000 listeners per week with information about inclusion, independence and empowerment
• Referred 211 people with disabilities to qualified employees within our personal assistant pool
• Hosted eight “SHOP-INS,” sending a message to local businesses about disability awareness and physical accessibility
• Distributed 240 amplified phones to people in need of assistive technology
• Provided Benefits Counseling Services to 183 people
• Secured Legislative Sponsorship of the Disability Integration Act from five US Representatives
• Hosted a Managed Care Town Hall Meeting, allowing people with disabilities to bring their healthcare concerns directly to managed care representatives

In addition to referring more than 200 people to qualified personal assistants, Progress Center also trained 133 people to enter our Personal Assistant Registry.  Personal Assistants perform day-to-day tasks such as dressing, bathing, cooking, feeding and cleaning. Progress Center permanently employs two personal assistants, allowing people with significant disabilities to work at Progress Center. Without personal assistants, thousands of people with disabilities would not have the support they need to work, and thousands of people would end up in nursing homes because they would not have the support they need to live at home.  Personal Assistants are a key link to independence.  In many ways, as a Center for Independent Living, Progress Center is also a key link to independence.  For people with disabilities throughout Suburban Cook County, we fill in the gaps separating people with disabilities from inclusion, equality, and independence.  As the year 2018 draws to a close, we invite you to make a year-end contribution to Progress Center. With your support, Progress Center will continue to be a key link to independence for people with disabilities in 2019, and for years to come.

To donate today, please visit this Web Page.  On behalf of Progress Center, we wish you a very joyous and safe Holiday Season. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like more information.

Sincerely,

Horacio Esparza (hesparza@progresscil.org)

Executive Director

Proposed Public Charge a threat to immigrants with disabilities

Progress Center for Independent Living opposes the new “Public Charge” rule proposed by the US Department of Homeland Security.  The rule change, if enacted, would be devastating to immigrants, including immigrants with disabilities.

The new rule would discourage and prevent many disabled immigrants from entering the United States, cutting them off from opportunity, from healthcare resources, and in some cases cutting them off from life-saving health and safety.   Under the new rule, immigrants could be denied entry into the United States if they use, or if they are considered to be “likely” users, of public benefits.

The proposed rule would impact immigrants seeking opportunity, safe haven, and reunification with their families.  Specifically for those with disabilities, the proposed rule cuts off the possibility of seeking medical treatment not available to them otherwise, and makes unavailable Medicaid services that allow people with disabilities to live in their own homes and be active participants in their communities.

“The proposed rule would have a terrible impact on people who want to enter the United States and who are disabled,” said Horacio Esparza, Executive Director of Progress Center for Independent Living.  “The proposed rule discriminates against people with disabilities, and is another example of actions taken by the current White House administration that threatens the civil rights, inclusion, and well-being of people with disabilities and other marginalized populations.”

The proposed rule is opposed by disability groups nationwide.

The Arc of the United States wrote, “The proposed rule would exclude people from this country simply because they have a disability and may need supports.”

 The National Council on Independent Living wrote, “The changes proposed would be devastating to immigrant families by making it harder for immigrants, and especially disabled and poor immigrants, to enter the US or become legal permanent residents. NCIL strongly opposes this proposal.”

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network wrote, “The Autistic Self Advocacy Network strongly condemns the Administration’s proposed “Public Charge” regulation, which discriminates against disabled and low-income immigrants and makes pathways to American citizenship contingent upon wealth and the absence of disability.”

“We applaud the leadership and advocacy of disability groups far and wide to oppose the Public Charge Proposal,” Esparza said.  “Progress Center will work with the community to ensure that immigrants with disabilities, and all immigrants, have access to opportunity and to services that support inclusion, independence, and equality.”

Progress Center urges The Trump Administration should immediately withdraw its proposal and instead advance policies that support—rather than undermine—the health of families and communities.

As a Center for Independent Living, Progress Center provides services and conducts advocacy that supports the independence of people with disabilities.  Progress Center serves Suburban Cook County. Progress Center is one of 22 Centers for Independent Living in Illinois.  For more information, contact 708-209-1500, or lbiondi@progresscil.org

On November 6- Turn out the Disability Vote

Progress Center for Independent Living is partnering with Indivisible Oak Park to ensure that voters have access to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

In you live in the near western suburbs of Cook County, and if you need transportation to the polls, contact Progress Center.  Progress Center will coordinate with Indivisible Oak Park to plan a ride.  The drivers are volunteers with Indivisible Oak Park.  The vehicles may not be  wheelchair accessible.

If you live outside of the near western Suburbs and need transportation, or if you need accessible transportation to the polls, we still encourage you to contact Progress Center.  We will work with you to ensure the opportunity to vote.

For more information and to request a ride, contact garnold@progresscil.org

Other Election Day Resources:

1. Equip for Equality Voters with Disabilities Helpline: 

Telephone: 1.800.537.2632; TTY: 1.800.610.2779; E-mail: voting@equipforequality.org

Available from 6 am to 7 pm

2. REV UP: Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power

The REV UP Campaign aims to increase the political participation of the disability community while also engaging candidates and the media on disability issues. REV UP stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!  Visit https://www.aapd.com/advocacy/voting/

Flyer: 2018-November 6- Election Day Support