Advocacy Team
Advocacy News: Ask the Governor; CESSA Celebration; and Big Hearing Aid News
Access Living friends and allies,
If you’ve been waiting to hear from us, we’ve been in the process of testing a new email system. Please bear with us! In the meantime, we have some great updates to share. Don’t miss out on these opportunities!
What Would You Ask the Governor? Access Living and community partners will be sending a written questionnaire to the candidates for Governor of Illinois. We would like to collect YOUR suggestions for questions to ask. Send your questions in using this form. The due date is Tuesday, August 30.
Focus Group for Gun Violence Survivors is Today! At 5pm Central time today, Access Living is hosting a Zoom focus group for people who have become disabled due to gun violence. We are planning a program to support gun violence survivors. Our focus group will help us tailor the program for success. The event is tonight, August 17, on Zoom from 5:00pm – 7:00pm Central Time. Register to participate in the focus group at this link. If you have questions, contact Candace Coleman at ccoleman@accessliving.org or (312) 640-2148.
Come Celebrate CESSA With Us! On August 25 from 4-6 pm, Access Living’s AYLP leaders and the Stephon Watts family will host a one year celebration event for the signing of CESSA into law. The event will be at the Calumet City Library which is at 660 S Manistee Ave in Calumet City, Illinois. Seating is limited, so RSVP is required. Please RSVP to Candace Coleman at ccoleman@accessliving.org or (312) 640-2148. For those new to Access Living, please check out this link to learn about CESSA.
Did You Hear…About the Hearing Aids? Last but not least, earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a historic new final rule that will allow affordable hearing aids to be sold over the counter, starting as soon as mid-October. Hearing aids can be the single most important assistive technology for millions of people with hearing loss or conditions that are exacerbated by hearing loss. We applaud this important step by the FDA.
Please share these opportunities and updates with fellow disability advocates and allies. Thank you for your advocacy!