Whereas, on average 61 million people living in the U.S. have a disability, and at least one billion people globally have a disability;
Whereas, at least 47 million people living in the U.S. hold immigrant status of various kinds;
Whereas, disability is also present among those who are immigrants, as well as among the families and friends of immigrants;
Whereas, immigrants with disabilities face significant systemic and social barriers to accessing basic necessities of life in the U.S. on par with others;
Whereas, immigrants with disabilities are not only present in all communities, but also present in places of incarceration, institutionalization, and/or detention;
Whereas, disability and immigration advocates in Chicagoland work in a unique systemic environment of local, county and state efforts to protect immigrants as a whole, as well as people with disabilities as a whole;
Whereas, disability and immigration advocates have paid witness to ongoing federal attacks on the basic human rights of all immigrants with disabilities;
Now therefore be it resolved:
That we the undersigned commit to supporting the advancement of systemic and service solutions to protect and expand the human rights of immigrants with disabilities and their families; and
That we the undersigned commit to establishing and supporting a Task Force to address solutions for immigrants with disabilities.
Initial Co-Signers
Organizations:
- Access Living
- Arc of Illinois
- Cambiando Vidas
- Chinese Mutual Aid Association
- Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center (CREEC)
- Healthy Illinois
- Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
- Lo Que Puede Venir
- National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
- National Immigrant Justice Center
- UIC Disability Resource Center
- Young Center for Immigrant & Children’s Rights
Individuals, with and without affiliation:
- Alma Anaya, Cook County Commissioner, 7th District
- Rachel Arfa, Equip for Equality
- Lily Diego-Johnson
- Kennedy Green
- Malini Goel
- Mimi and Monica Hamada-Pena
- Timotheus Gordon, Jr., Co-Founder of Chicagoland Disabled People of Color Coalition (DPOCC)
- Rooshey Hasnain, UIC-DHD ADOPT-PRIDE
- John Herring, Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living (INCIL)
- Enrique Mendoza, Legal Council for Health Justice
- Paul Ogwal, Caring Across Generations
- Jae Jin Pak
- Alberto Rosas
- Shelly Richardson, Statewide Independent Living Council
- Naomi Salcedo, AFIRE Chicago
- Tedros Markos Tekle, UIC PRIDE