About

Learn about the Illinois ADA Project and how we can help you.

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FAQs

Learn about your rights as a person with a disability.

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Resources

Fact sheets and other materials to help you advocate for your rights.

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

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

Training

The Illinois ADA Project provides training to all stakeholders–businesses, employers, government entities, as well as individuals with disabilities, their families, friends, and service providers. Our trainings are customized to fit the needs of your organization. Please contact us for more information or to schedule a training.

Examples of past trainings include:

General ADA Trainings

  • ADA Case Law Update
  • The ADA in the Real World (a general overview of the ADA)
  • The U.S. Supreme Court and the ADA
  • What Social Workers Need to Know About the ADA
  • Cannabis Expungement in Illinois

Title I (Employment)

  • Best Practices for Employers, Managers and Supervisors
  • Employing People with Disabilities, It’s Good Business (A Guide for Employers)
  • Employing People with Psychiatric Disabilities
  • ADA & Employment Rights
  • ADA & Reasonable Accommodations
  • Interplay Between the FMLA and the ADA
  • ADA Issues: Harassment, Retaliation, and Discipline
  • The ADA and Medical Inquiries
  • Covid-19 and Return to work

Title II (State/Local Governments)

  • ADA & Service Animals
  • Voting Rights
  • The ADA and Effective Communication
  • Healthcare and the ADA
  • The ADA and Post-Secondary Education

Title III (Places of Public Accommodation)

  • ADA for Small Businesses
  • Best Practices for Welcome Customers with Disabilities
  • ADA: It’s Good for Business
  • ADA & Service Animals
  • The ADA and Effective Communication
  • What Healthcare Providers Need to Know About the ADA
  • The ADA and Post-Secondary Education
A woman with Downs syndrome standing next to her coworker, smiling and wearing aprons

Become a Member of the Illinois ADA Project Steering Committee

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

Illinois ADA Project Manager
c/o Equip For Equality
20 N. Michigan, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60602
877-ADA-3601 (Voice) | 800-610-2779 (TTY) | 312-541-7544 (Fax)

Contact Lauren Galloway