Advocacy Team
March 2 – March 6: Big Week for Disability Advocacy
Whirlwind week ahead for Access Living
Dear Access Living friends and allies,
First, today is Karen Tamley’s first day as President & CEO of Access Living. Karen will be working this week to settle in her new role and you will be hearing from her periodically on this email list. A big Access Living welcome to Karen! In case you missed it, here is the link to our announcement about Karen and her new role.
Also today, Access Living is serving as the host space to the Chicago observance of the National Disability Day of Mourning. This is an annual national observance in memory of persons with disabilities who have been murdered by their families and caregivers. Event details are at this link. The event is free, supported by a number of Chicago area disability groups, and is from 5:30-7:30 pm.
On Tuesday March 3, look for Access Living community members in Springfield as part of the Protect Our Care Illinois advocacy day on prescription drug affordability. You can learn more about the coalition’s work on prescription drug affordability at this link. This is a critical national issue affecting the lives of millions with and without disabilities.
On Wednesday, March 4, look for even more Access Living community members in Springfield as we join our colleagues for a Disability Legislative Breakfast. We will be with the Arc of Illinois, the Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living (INCIL), and the Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois (SILC of Illinois) for a an informal breakfast event in the Stratton Cafeteria from 8 am to 10 am. All Illinois state legislators are invited.
Finally, on Thursday March 5, join us for our greatly anticipated Disability Candidates Forum! We will be hosting candidates for two important Cook County races: the State’s Attorney and the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Join us to learn more about these races and why they are critical to the lives of thousands of people with disabilities each year. We want a full house, so those joining us in person should RSVP at this link (event is free). We will also have a livestream link available.
We’re excited to make this a week of honoring the lives of people with disabilities, and growing the power of disability voters. Thank you for your ongoing support and engagement with Access Living!