Access Living will be closed for the holidays from 12/24 through 1/1/25. We will resume our regular hours of operation on 1/2/25. Happy New Year!

Disability Candidates Forum: March 5, 2020

 

Join us on March 5 for a Disability Candidates Forum

Beginning at 1 p.m. we will be streaming the Candidates Forum on Access Living’s Facebook page. To access captions for the live stream, you can click this link or use the link provided in the comments section of the Facebook Live video. Please note: If you wish to use the captioning link, you must open it in its own browser window.

This is our first time integrating technology in this way, and we may experience some technical difficulties. Please bear with us should any technical difficulties occur.

Access Living will host a public forum at 1 – 2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, 2020, at 115 W Chicago Ave., when candidates running for Cook County State’s Attorney and the Clerk of the Circuit Court will address how they plan to serve the disability community.

Please register to attend. At the Candidates Forum, we will be asking candidates questions submitted by members of the disability community.

Candidates Attending/Invited to the Forum

Cook County State’s Attorney

Democrats

  • Kim Foxx, incumbent – Confirmed
  • Bill Conway – Confirmed
  • Bob Fioretti – Confirmed
  • Donna More – Confirmed

Republicans

  • Pat O’Brien – Invited
  • Christopher Pfannkuche – Invited

Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court

Democrats

  • Jacob Meister – Confirmed
  • Michael Cabonargi – Confirmed
  • Commissioner Richard Boykin – Confirmed
  • State Senator Iris Martinez – Will attend if schedule allows

Republicans

  • Barbara Bellar – Invited

Why is Access Living hosting a forum on these two races? 

The lives of the half-million people with disabilities who live in Cook County are deeply tied to our courts and legal offices and systems. Our goal is not only to challenge candidates to discuss how they plan to engage and serve people with disabilities, but also to more broadly educate the Cook County audience about why these offices have impact on the lives of people with disabilities. Given the rise of disability voter engagement over the last five years, this is a unique opportunity to connect several critical issues voters care about, like race, criminal justice reform, and of course disability.

What does the Cook County State’s Attorney do? 

With more than 700 attorneys and more than 1,100 employees, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is the second largest prosecutor’s office in the nation. The State’s Attorney oversees a wide range of divisions involving civil and criminal matters, as well as victim support, child enforcement support, domestic violence services, and immigration services.

What does the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court do? 

The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 24 circuits in Illinois as well as one of the largest unified court systems in the United States — second only in size to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. More than 2.4 million cases are filed each year (per Wikipedia) and the Clerk is responsible for managing the court’s documents and other matters. It is also an office that engages with a large number of people who represent themselves, in addition of course to engaging with lawyers.

Half a million people with disabilities live in Cook County.

I plan to attend. How do I request a reasonable accommodation?

Our building is wheelchair accessible. ASL and CART will be provided. You can submit an accommodation request via the registration form above. Any additional questions should be addressed to Jerome Palliser at (312) 640-2113 or jpalliser@accessliving.org.