Advocacy Team
Update from Access Living: Strike Averted; Action for HCBS; New Resources
Dear Access Living friends and allies,
Illinois Nursing Home Strike Averted: A tentative agreement has been reached between Illinois nursing home workers represented by SEIU, and nursing home owners. This averts the strike that was set to go forward tomorrow. The tentative deal must now be voted upon by SEIU Healthcare’s 10,000 members who work in nursing homes. This is an important victory for everyone involved because improved working conditions in the nursing homes means more safety for people with disabilities and seniors who live there. The news release is at this link.
Take Action for Home and Community Based Services: While averting the nursing home strike is a critical victory, especially during this pandemic, let’s stay focused on the reality that congregate settings place lives and communities at risk. We urge advocates to keep fighting for community integration and investment in HCBS. Here is a link to an email tool to remind your members of Congress why HCBS is important to you. While members of Congress are basically at home right now, they really need to hear from you to keep HCBS at the front of their plans for Covid-19 relief.
New Illinois Resource for People with Disabilities in Marginalized Communities:
The Chicagoland Disabled People of Color Coalition with support from the Illinois Self Advocacy Alliance, Inc. (The Alliance) and funded by The Arc of Illinois and the Illinois Council of Developmental Disabilities, has developed a centralized list of resources for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in marginalized communities. These marginalized communities include people of color, people in the LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgendered, Questioning/Queer, Intersexed, Asexual) community, and immigrants. This listing includes but is not limited to the following resources: information about COVID-19, legal resources, housing resources, health/medical resources, food resources, and websites where people can find their local legislators. The resource list is available in English and in Spanish.
.Plain Language Video on Covid-19:
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network and Rooted in Rights has released a captioned plain language video on Covid-19, at this link. This is a new and useful video for people who would benefit from a video to explain what Covid-19 is, how it works, and how people can stay safe. Please share with people who might want to use it.
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing advocacy.