Homepage - Illinois ADA Project

Welcome to the Illinois ADA Project Homepage!

Our goal is to educate, enrich, and enlighten the people, businesses, and organizations of Illinois regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Illinois ADA Project is funded by the Great Lakes ADA Center to provide information about the ADA to individuals and private and public organizations throughout Illinois. Read more about what we do in the Services section.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we posted 30 days of 30 landmark ADA cases from Illinois. See them all here.

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act?

The ADA is the 1990 Civil Rights Law designed to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities in the United States of America. The ADA seeks to ensure that people with disabilities are fully integrated into the fabric of society. The Act prohibits discrimination, requires that businesses provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and provides that facilities and services be made accessible. The five parts of the ADA are:

Title I: Employment
Title II: State and Local Governments
Title III: Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities
Title IV: Telecommunications
Title V: Miscellaneous

Goals of the ADA

Equal treatment under the law
Fairness to individuals, businesses, and the government
Independence
Access to facilities and services
A diverse, integrated, and welcoming society for people with disabilities
Clear, enforceable standards

Benefits of Increased ADA Awareness

Increasing ADA awareness will lead to a society where America’s goals of freedom, equality, justice, and fairness can be attained and each individual’s uniqueness is fully appreciated and their potential realized.

Our Steering Committee

The work of the Illinois ADA Project is guided by a Steering Committee that includes individuals with disabilities, advocates, service providers, government agencies, and businesses. The Illinois ADA Project Steering Committee consists of representatives from the following organizations:

	■ Access Living	■ Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services
	■ Accessibility Consultation & Training Services	■ Illinois Secretary of State
	■ ACT Services	■ JJ’s List
	■ BCS – WorkNet Center	■ Lifeway Mobility
	■ Chicago Housing Authority	■ LifeCare Design Studio
	■ Chicago Chamber of Commerce	■ Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD)
	■ Chicago Lighthouse	■ Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus
	■ disabilityworks	■ Northwestern University
	■ Equip for Equality	■ Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC)
	■ Great Lakes ADA Center	■ Southern Illinois University
	■ Illinois Attorney General’s Office	■ United Way of Metropolitan Chicago
	■ Illinois Commission of Deaf and Hard of Hearing	■ U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
	■ Illinois Department of Employment Security

The Illinois ADA Project Steering Committee is always looking for new members. If you are interested in joining, please contact Illinois ADA Project Manager, Lauren Galloway at LaurenG@equipforequality.org.

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Last updated: March 22, 2023