CURRENT ALERTS

Joliet Educational Forum on H B 311

Where: St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 104 East Zarley Blvd, Joliet

When: Monday, October 17, 2011, 7:00 pm

What: a speaker still to be determined will brief the audience on single-payer health care and HB 311, and then the floor will be open for questions and testimony by the audience.

Wheelchair access: yes; if you wish to attend and have other special needs please email Anne Scheetz.

We invite people who now or in the past have had difficulty getting access to health care, and/or paying for it, or whose family members have had difficulty, to tell their stories.

We invite health care providers who have not been able to provide the care their patients need because of financial barriers or because the services were not available to testify as well.

If there are many people who want to speak, we will set a time limit for each speaker.

Please pass this on to people you know in Will County.

We hope to schedule additional events, including a debate for and against HB 311 in November. Stay tuned! For more information, click here.

Celebration Held for Disabilities Act

“This Act is powerful in its simplicity. It will ensure that people with disabilities are given the basic guarantees for which they have worked so long and so hard. Independence, freedom of choice, control of their own lives, the opportunity to blend fully and equally into the rich mosaic of the American mainstream,” said President George HW Bush when he signed the Americans with Disabilities in law on July 26, 1990.

Those of us with disabilities agree with this statement. We found it amazing that our fight for equality took so long to come to fruition. However, when that glorious day arrived in 1990, we all rejoiced. Our civil rights were now protected by a landmark piece of federal legislation.

The Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living sponsored a celebration to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the ADA at Illinois Valley Industries in Morris on July 26. Dozens people with disabilities, WGCIL staff members, plus Board members Brent Newman and John Stanton enjoyed a picnic style dinner and program. Celebrating this historic piece of legislation that guarantees equal access and equal opportunity is important to people with disabilities and the general public.

Many physical and communication barriers have been eliminated. It is now common to see curb cuts with truncated domes, lifts on public buses and trains, computer software for people with vision disabilities, captioning on television programs, etc. Sadly, the unemployment rate among working age people with disabilities still hovers at 70%. Additionally, the 1999 US Supreme Court’s order that states create a plan to allow people with disabilities living in institutions the opportunity to move into the community has not been fully achieved. Those of us in the independent living/disability rights field will continue to work to remove barriers so our neighbors with disabilities may enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

A United Way organization, the Center opened its Morris office in January. The Center is pleased to have a physical presence in Grundy County since transportation to Joliet is often difficult to find. The Grundy County Housing Authority has been a terrific partner in helping as the Center strives to serve more Grundy county residents with all types of disabilities, of all ages.

Pam Heavens
Executive Director