Progress Center

Healthcare Advocacy Group
2026-08-13 12:30 - 13:30, 2026-09-10 12:30 - 13:30 (America/Chicago) | 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, Forest Park, IL, 60130, United States
Healthcare Advocacy Group
Time: 12:30 pm on the Second Thursday of every month
Place: Progress Center Main Office in Forest Park and Zoom
Contact Clark Craig at 708-209-1500 ext. 114 or ccraig@progresscil.org for more information and the Zoom link.

Latonya Reeves Freedom Act Working Group
2026-08-13 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-09-10 14:00 - 15:00 | 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, Forest Park, IL, 60130, United States
Latonya Reeves Freedom Act Working Group
Time: 2:00 pm on the Second Thursday of every month
Place: Progress Center Main Office in Forest Park and Zoom
Contact Community Organizer Jonathan Barton at 708-209-1500 ext.122 or jbarton@progresscil.org for more information and the Zoom link.

Resident Solidarity Group
2026-08-13 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-08-20 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-08-27 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-09-03 15:00 - 16:00, 2026-09-10 15:00 - 16:00 | Zoom
Resident Solidarity Group
All current and former nursing-home residents and other institution residents along with any allies are welcome.
The purpose of these meetings is to provide a safe space in which you can come together with friends, residents from other nursing homes and organizers to discuss your lives, current experiences and strategies for action to solve problems you may be experiencing to improve your lives. Some meetings include presentations.
For the Zoom link or the Dial-In phone number, or if you have suggestions for future presentation topics which would be useful to residents, please contact Clark Craig at ccraig@progresscil.org or 708-209-1500.

Art Forging Autonomy Support Group
2026-08-14 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-08-21 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-08-28 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-09-04 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-09-11 14:00 - 16:00 | 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, Forest Park, IL, 60130, United States
Artists with disabilities and independent living allies of all expressions, interests, and experience are welcome to join together at our peer support art group, every Friday, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at 7521 Madison Street in Forest Park at the Progress Center large meeting room for fellowship, freedom of expression, independent living, lots of family friendly fun with music/drawing/dancing/postering and acting scenes of our favorite shows from stages + big silver screens + little silver screens, fearless poetry, fancy crafts, and solidarity forever. Let’s all get together and brainstorm our best work ever at Progress Center!

Community Check-In Group
2026-08-14 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-08-21 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-08-28 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-09-04 16:00 - 17:00, 2026-09-11 16:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
Join our Community Check-In Group, where you can meet and connect with others with disabilities who share similar interests and experiences.
The group provides an opportunity to:

Build new friendships and expand your social network.
Discuss disability-related issues, resources, and current events.
Learn about programs and services available in the community.
Help plan and participate in group outings and recreational activities.
Share experiences and support one another in an inclusive and welcoming environment.

Whether you’re looking to meet new people, stay informed, or simply enjoy spending time with others, we invite you to join us. Everyone is welcome!
This group meets every Friday at 4:00 pm over Zoom. For more the Zoom link, email or call Art Johnson at ajohnson@progresscil.org or 708-209-1500.

Job Readiness Support Group
2026-08-18 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-08-25 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-09-01 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-09-08 12:00 - 13:00 | 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, Forest Park, IL, 60130, United States
Join Progress Center’s Job Readiness Support Group. This group of job seekers meets in person at our Forest Park office and over Zoom every Tuesday at noon.
Email or call Arlinda Wallace at awallace@progresscil.org or 708-209-1500 for more information and the Zoom link.

Transportation Advocacy Group
2026-08-19 13:00 - 14:00 | Progress Center’s Blue Island office
Transportation Advocacy Group
Time: 10:00 am on the Second Wednesday of every month
Place: Progress Center Blue Island office and Zoom
Contact Manuel Gonzalez at 708-209-1500 ext. 201 or mgonzalez@progresscil.org for more information and the Zoom link.

Membership and Outreach Meeting
2026-08-19 14:30 - 16:00 | 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, Forest Park, IL, 60130, United States
Join PCIL’s monthly M&O Committee meeting at our Forest Park office or over Zoom.
Call or email Demetra for more information or the Zoom link at 705-209-1500 ext. 118 or dkaras@progresscil.org.

Art Showcase at Garage Galleries
2026-08-22 11:00 - 14:30 | 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, Forest Park, IL, 60130, United States
Happy Garage Galleries Week, ALL ! ! !
This Saturday, August 22 2026, we will host an outreach / art event outside of Progress Center’s office, at a side table located at 7521 Madison Street, in Forest Park, from 11am to 2:30pm.

To access Progress Center with public transit, WE are just 2 blocks North of the CTA BLUE LINE Forest Park TRAIN station + right on the 318 CTA Pace Mainline Bus route(which starts at the station going NORTHBOUND to the BUS STOP at Madison St. and Des Plaines Ave ), + just 4 blocks South / 3 blocks West of the Oak Park GREEN LINE CTA TRAIN station, + the METRA Oak Park TRAIN station- (You can take the 318 BUS SOUTHBOUND to get from those 2 stations to Progress Center, at the BUS STOP at Madison Street and Ferdinand Avenue).
For more specific directions / questions contact jbarton@progresscil.org
Forest Park’s 2O26 Garage Galleries Festival, garagegalleries.com garagegalleriesfp.com>garage-galleries-2026
O n T h i s S a t u r d a y , Progress Center for Independent Living artists will proudly showcase our paintings, poetry, journaling, sketches, humor, caroling talents, murals, history projects, and many more creative works for the public to get to know the great, vibrant skills, strengths, expressions, and creative interests of the disability community.
Our goal is to utilize our original artistic accomplishments, to go deeper than ever before, into the unknown history of disability community culture, to highlight the many, and often underestimated victories of disability rights advocacy, to discover our dreams and joys, and to welcome ALL to learn about and support our current work to end institutionalization, physician assisted suicide, bias, inaccessibility, and all attacks on our civil rights, in order to educate the public on how powerfully important our opportunities are to voice our emerging autonomy, our experiences, and our unique perspectives, which brilliantly shape the evolving character of our participation in all aspects of society, and prompt the very best of our values for all communities to grow closer as neighbors.
It will also serve as our beautiful invitation to ALL to learn how to become active supporters of our struggles and our Independent Living organizing campaigns, as we continue to recruit new allies to join our efforts to not only abolish paternalism/oppression/ableism/ability supremacy, but to celebrate the many ways that we keep ourselves spiritually, organizationally and emotionally strong, united, and thriving for the next chapters of human rights movement development, diligent systems change collaborations, and we the people’s self-determination essential demands, especially for our youth who we mentor to be tomorrow’s leaders TODAY.

If anyone wishes to participate, and/or contribute your artistic interests, and advocacy talents, and view the day’s diverse group of artistic works, please contact Jonathan Barton jbarton@progresscil.org

Feel free to join us, as together WE will relish each other’s imaginative spirits and visions. ! It will be a very accessible, fun, + family friendly day ! Thank You !

Non-Apparent / Hidden Disabilities Support Group
2026-08-24 16:00 - 17:00 | 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, Forest Park, IL, 60130, United States
Non-Apparent / Hidden Disabilities Support Group
The group is for people with hidden, invisible, or nonapparent disabilities, even dynamic disabilities (fluctuating, episodic, sometimes called “not always” disabilities). These are physical, mental, or neurological conditions not obvious from a person’s appearance. Examples include chronic pain, diabetes, learning differences like dyslexia, autism, mental health conditions like depression, and neurological conditions like migraine, vertigo, and multiple chemical sensitivity.
People with hidden disabilities are often overlooked, trivialized, marginalized, isolated, and discriminated against, even at times by people with apparent, sometimes referred to as “real”, disabilities. Disability status is more often denied and support is delayed. Accommodations may be considered unnecessary and withheld. People are often faced with a “you look fine” attitude of skepticism and accusations of faking.
Come share compassion with peers.
Meets every 4th Monday of the month at 4:00pm.
The support groups will meet in-person at Progress Center in Forest Park and over Zoom (hybrid).
For more information, directions to our office or the Zoom link, call Demetra at Progress Center at 708-209-1500 ext. 118 or email dkaras@progresscil.org.

Dynamic People With Disabilities Support Group
2026-08-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Progress Center’s Blue Island office
The Dynamic People With Disabilities Support Group meets monthly on the 4th Tuesday from 1:00 – 3:00 pm in the Progress Center Blue Island office. Progress Center is on the third floor within Moraine Valley Community College at 12940 Western Avenue, Blue Island, IL 60406. You can participate in person or on Zoom. Please email Kim Liddell at kliddell@progresscil.org or call (708) 388-5011 extension 200.
This group is open to anyone with a disability, however, this group is comprised of blind consumers.

Home Service Support Group
2026-08-28 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Home Service Support Group
This group is a great opportunity to hear from other people that use Personal Assistant services. Discuss and learn how to hire and maintain your PA(s), issues and successes.
This group meets on the LAST FRIDAY of every month (4th or 5th Friday).
Contact Art Johnson for more information and the Zoom link at ajohnson@progresscil.org.

Celebrate Justin Dart's birthday at Progress Center
2026-08-29 11:00 - 16:00 | 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, 7521 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130, Forest Park, IL, 60130, United States
On Saturday, August 29 , 2026, at Progress Centers Forest Park office, from 11:00am to 4:00pm, we will host a Birthday party / outreach event / indy livy history celebration for the late great independent living advocate / main spokesperson for the organizing that eventually resulted in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, Justin Dart. All are welcome to participate in this very family friendly event!
