The Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois is pleased to bring Ms. Curtis to Illinois for a special one-day exhibit to be held in conjunction with our Annual Disability Rights Conference. This exhibition will make Ms. Curtis' Midwestern debut.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lois Curtis spent her adolescent and adult life as a resident in various state-run institutions. After her repeated requests to be allowed to live in the community were denied, Ms. Curtis, along with fellow advocate and state institution resident Elaine Wilson, sued the state of Georgia. In 1999, her case came before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Victorious, the landmark decision declared "unnecessary institutionalization amounts to segregation and is a violation of individual civil rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act." Ms. Curtis' case became a national mandate to free tens of thousands of people with disabilities from unnecessary and unjust institutionalization.

Today, Ms. Curtis receives community-based supports and enjoys life outside the institution. The recognition that she has received for her incredible talent, in conjunction with her passion, has motivated her to make art and advocacy her life's work. Ms. Curtis' art, done primarily in pastels and acrylics, is simple, yet bold, and captures intense feeling and emotion. Her presentations are heartfelt, enlightening and inspiring.

In November of 2005, Ms. Curtis had her first solo art exhibition at the Decatur, Georgia Temple Gallery. The exhibition title, "Ms. Curtis, it's a pleasure to meet you . . ." was a resounding success among critics as well as the general public.

Join us the evening of Tuesday, May 9, 2006, from 5:30 - 6:30 pm at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Ballroom. Many of Ms. Curtis' works will be for sale - this is an opportunity you won't want to miss!



By Gerard Broeker, Statewide Independent Living Council Executive Director

For a variety of reasons, but mostly due to discrimination and lack of transportation, Illinoisans with disabilities continue to struggle with an unemployment rate which is over 70%. The joblessness crisis means, among other things, that people with disabilities are some of the poorest members of society in Illinois and, in turn, inordinately reliant upon social programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

The Federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently implemented the Medicare Part D prescription program. The roll-out of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program has been fraught with problems since it was officially implemented. Difficulties have occurred with enrollment ever since the open enrollment period began on October 15, 2005. From the inception of the plan on January 1, 2006, I have heard countless stories of people with disabilities and senior citizens going without necessary prescriptions due to glitches in the new system. For these populations, going without medications for even one day can have deadly results.

In addition, Congress approved the federal budget for fiscal year 2006 which included cuts to several domestic programs. Those cuts will have damaging effects on impoverished people throughout the United States; however, two of the approved cuts will have a severely negative impact on people with disabilities in Illinois.

First and foremost, the $16 Billion cut to Medicaid means that all people who rely on that program will no longer be able to find doctors willing to accept the terribly low reimbursement rate that they receive for treating low-income patients in their offices and clinics. In actuality, this means that for many members of the lowest income brackets, preventive medicine will be a thing of the past. How will this play out in the future? I see two things that are likely: 1) people on Medicaid will be flooding emergency rooms to have minor procedures which could have been performed in an office or clinic and 2) hospitalization for people on Medicaid with serious illnesses which could have been avoided by using preventative medicine. In the end it will cost tax payers more to treat the serious illnesses which will result from lack of prevention. In more ways than one, this is a terrible price for society to pay.

The second cut which affects people with disabilities adversely is the 1% across the board cut which the independent living community has been dealt. One percent seems minuscule in the grand scheme of things. However, in real terms, this budget cut will lead to a cutback in services delivered by Illinois’ fourteen centers for independent living who receive money through Title VII, Part C of the Rehabilitation Act. The Title VII, Part B cuts the state is incurring mean that my agency, the Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois, might have to cut the Consumer Stipend Program which has been in operation since our inception. In the past, this program has allowed hundreds of Illinoisans with disabilities to be able to attend conferences which teach things such as civil rights, living independently, and self-advocacy. It will truly be a sad day when I have to tell people they cannot travel to these highly educational conferences due to the fact that the federal government needed their one percent for something more worthwhile than the ability of people with disabilities to learn the skills necessary to live independently in their community.

We, people with disabilities and society in general, deserve better from our federal government and our elected officials.





CHICAGO (March 2, 2006) --Equip for Equality, the federally-mandated protection and advocacy agency for persons with disabilities in Illinois, announced a settlement of the federal lawsuit it brought against Lambs Farm, Inc. on behalf of John Doe, an individual with HIV. The suit claimed that Lambs Farm, which serves adults with developmental disabilities, denied vocational and residential services to John Doe based on his HIV status, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws.

Under the settlement, John Doe will soon begin participating in Lambs Farm's vocational program. Other terms of the settlement remain confidential.

"We are delighted that our client will not be excluded from Lambs Farm's vocational program because of his HIV status and that Lambs Farm recognizes that his participation does not pose a danger to other participants," says Karen I. Ward, Senior Counsel at Equip for Equality and lead counsel for Doe.

"It is critical that organizations serving individuals with one disability do not discriminate based on another disability." Equip for Equality Senior Attorney Alan Goldstein also served as counsel in this case. Doe's lawsuit alleged that Lambs Farm had tentatively accepted him, but that his application was terminated when Lambs Farm staff learned of his HIV status. Lambs Farm denied any and all wrongdoing.

Doe is eagerly looking forward to his participation at Lambs Farm. "All I want to do is go to 'The Lambs,'" he said. "I want to begin my new life."

"The ADA prohibits denying services to people with disabilities based on unjustified fears and stereotypes," says Barry Taylor, Equip for Equality's Legal Advocacy Director. "Equip for Equality is committed to challenging discriminatory practices and policies that exclude people with HIV and other disabilities."

Equip for Equality is a private, statewide, not-for-profit entity designated by the Governor to administer the federal Protection and Advocacy System for safeguarding the rights of people with physical and mental disabilities in Illinois.

Reference: U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, and Chicago, Case No. 05-5564, John Doe v. Lambs Farm, Inc.



Fed Ex to Pay $100,000+ in ADA Discrimination Suit

BALTIMORE -- A federal jury today found in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in its employment discrimination lawsuit against Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). EEOC had charged the Memphis, Tenn.-based global shipping giant with failing to provide a reasonable accommodation to Ronald Lockhart, a profoundly deaf employee who worked as a package handler at the company's Baltimore Ramp.

The suit charged Federal Express with violating the ADA when it failed to provide reasonable accommodations to Lockhart in the form of American Sign Language interpreters, despite his repeated requests. The jury found FedEx liable for punitive damages in the amount of $100,000 for its knowing failure to accommodate Lockhart as well as compensatory damages of $8,000 for the loss of the accommodation itself. The EEOC's lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Maryland on September 30, 2004 (Case No. 04 CV-3129) after the agency first attempted to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement.

"This verdict sends victims and their employers a big message," said EEOC Regional Attorney Jacqueline McNair. "Employers must provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. It is the employer's responsibility to demonstrate that it is committed to fully adhere to the requirements of the ADA on behalf of disabled employees, and that they are not to be treated like second-class citizens."

Title I of the ADA prohibits employment discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments. In Fiscal Year 2005, the EEOC received 14,893 charge filings from individuals alleging disability discrimination, filed 46 ADA lawsuits against employers, and recovered more than $48 million in total monetary benefits through enforcement and litigation.



By Jessica Hayes Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator

Several times throughout my childhood people asked me if I was a Thalidomide baby. Like most Americans born after 1965, I had no idea what I was being asked, and could never remember the name Thalidomide long enough to ask an adult or other such knowledgeable person what the heck they were talking about. Thalidomide - it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

I finally figured out how to pronounce and spell it, and I've learned more and more about the drug. In the late 1950's and early 60's Thalidomide was widely used to cure any number of ailments including sleeplessness, headaches, colds, nervous tension, impotence and most notably, morning sickness. Developed by Nazi party member Dr. Heinrich Muckter in 1954 Germany through a government funded pharmaceutical company, Thalidomide went on the market after minimal testing - testing that didn't involve any female subjects. Declared safe and promoted as a cure-all for just about anything that ails you, Thalidomide was sold to Great Britain, Canada, Japan, Sweden and Australia.

Thalidomide's side affects would become world famous, or maybe infamous is a better word choice. The German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grunenthal ignored and covered up over a 1,000 letters and formalized complaints that indicated Thalidomide was causing painful nerve damage to fingers and toes that grew into shooting pains throughout the limbs. Then came the babies. The first generation of babies born who were exposed to Thalidomide while in the womb totaled over 10,000, and despite all of the claims that the drug was safe and that new tests didn't conclude it should be removed from the market, the Thalidomide babies were unequivocal proof that the drug was indeed dangerous. Many of the mothers who took Thalidomide to prevent morning sickness had babies with varying degrees limb deformity. Some had no limbs at all, others shortened or twisted arms, partial legs, misplaced and/or missing digits . . .

Alas, I am not a product of the drug Thalidomide. I was born with one hand, the cause of which in unknown and I've never really had much interest in investigating further. But, me and the rest of my fellow Americans were never exposed to Thalidomide. It didn't make it past U. S. Food and Drug Administration safety testing.

A few days ago a friend forwarded me a review of a play called "Thalidomide!! A Musical." The show was written, composed and stars the British actor Mat Fraser, and for those of you who are wondering, he was a Thalidomide baby. Fraser frequently refers to himself and others like him by the abbreviated term "flid."

Thalidomide! A Musical is a 100% non-politically correct show featuring songs such as "Monster Babies," "Talk to the Flipper Cos the Face Don't Care," and "It's Hard to Hitch Down Life's Highway With No Thumbs."

The more I read about the show, I found the initial shock wearing off and replacing itself with admiration. The songs are cleverly written in the sharp tongue of someone who obviously lived the life and now talks the talk of a grown up flid. Fraser has done that amazing thing some artists with disabilities have mastered that allows them to transcend and own their disability and say just whatever the heck they please. He is at times offensive and uses humor and colorful language to satire the way others perceive him. He tap dances on stereotypes, and belts out an operatic truth about his own disability.

I must confess that I have not actually seen Thalidomide!! A Musical. Currently it is only playing in London and even though I submitted the travel request, it just wasn't in The Catalyst's budget to send me there for opening night (darn it!). So, I had to settle with downloading Mp3's of the songs - go to http://www. nataliesteedproductions.co.uk/Fraser/Thalidomide!!.html and get your "Monster Babies" ring tone!

Thalidomide!! A Musical appears to be, of all things, a love story. Fraser plays opposite Anna Winslet. Kate Winslet is her sister, and they do look strikingly similar. To confuse matters a little more, Anna's character is called Katie.

Katie is in love with Glyn (Fraser), but her love is tinged with pity. In Katie's big solo, "I Can Be His Arms" she sings, "It was early today that I saw bullies tripped him - he crashed to the floor, I fell into enslavement when his face hit the pavement, with a love I'd feel ever more."

You may be wondering why after all of these years there is a brand new musical about this drug, and what purpose it could possibly serve to rehash the events surrounding the marketing and misrepresentation of Thalidomide. The answer is pretty shocking - Thalidomide has found a new market in the slums of Brazil, and is currently being used to treat an array of painful symptoms that leprosy patients experience. Approximately 38,000 new cases of leprosy are diagnosed every year in Brazil and use of Thalidomide went unchecked for many, many years. The result was a second generation of Thalidomide babies who had the misfortune of being born into some of the poorest circumstances in the world. That translates to no access to healthcare, prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs.

About 12 years ago "compensation" plans were implemented that were aimed at lowering the risks caused by Thalidomide. Picture and written warnings are now distributed with the drug, sterilizing injections are administered to anyone taking the drug, and throughout the course of treatment recipients must undergo one on one counseling about the side effects. Even with these precautions in place, every year more babies are born who have been affected by the drug.

Thalidomide has also resurfaced throughout the rest of the world and is currently being studied in over 200 different trails. Early test results indicate that Thalidomide has been successful in treating skin cancer.

I don't write this article to warn the rest of the free world about the evils of Thalidomide, in fact it's just the opposite. Fraser says that he along with many "first generation flids" are in agreement that if any good can ever come from the drug, then studying it is a good thing. But Fraser is a bit cynical about the motivation of some pharmaceutical companies for studying the drug, and who could blame him? British companies kept Thalidomide on the shelves with no warnings long after it had been proven dangerous.

To learn more about Mat Fraser visit http://www.matfraser.com .



By Valerie Brew-Parrish, M.S.

It seems like eons ago that I was preparing to go to college. Although I always maintained a high grade point average, I was concerned about taking the ACT, American College Testing exam. The questions didn't scare me. I was terrified of the # 2 pencil I would be required to use. Those tiny circles to record answers had to be darkened to be read. The problem was, I lacked the strength to make the circles dark enough. It took so long to mark those circles, I could not quickly proceed to all of the other sections. The accommodation that I needed was for someone to serve as an amanuensis, a person to record my answers. A few years ago, my husband Rick took the Miller Analogy Test to begin work on a Ph.D. The university would not allow me to read the questions to my husband to accommodate his blindness. Instead, a graduate student was assigned to read the analogies. It was a disaster. The graduate student could not pronounce the vocabulary words that were part of the test. Ironically, Rick is very adept at figuring out those complex analogies. The test results were very unflattering and certainly were not indicative of my husband's abilities.

The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have all paved the way for testing accommodations. Some of these accommodations may include but are not limited to the following: Extra time, large print, Braille, or a reader. The National Task Force on Equity In Testing Deaf Persons recommends an interpreter for oral directions. For many Deaf people English is not their native language. Therefore, changes can be made in the testing environment or the test itself. All 11th graders in Illinois are required to take the Prairie State Achievement Exam. Students who have a Section 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Plan are entitled to testing accommodations. Students with diabetes can ask permission to eat a snack during testing. Interpreters for Deaf students will be available if warranted and blind students may use Braille, large print, readers, etc. Students who use wheelchairs will be accommodated in accessible testing locations.

Progress certainly has been made since I took standardized tests. The law is explicit. All national testing services have to provide accommodations for individuals with documented disabilities. It is important to begin this process early. Most testing centers require all documentation to be sent at least six weeks ahead of advertised registration deadlines. For too long, the national testing centers flagged the exams completed by students with disabilities. This was a troublesome procedure that could have been construed as discriminatory. The ETS has stopped flagging exams that utilized accommodations except in rare instances when the test is significantly altered. There is never an extra fee for an accommodation. For the real scoop on test accommodations, go to http:// www.ets.org . And, on test day don't forget your #2 pencil.



By Jessica Hayes, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator

"The purpose of the MARS program is to increase the number of accessible housing units in Illinois," said Tim Call, Manager of Housing Development Programs for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).

Call has been with DCEO since 1990 and served as the manger of its Mobility and Accessibility Rehabilitation Services (MARS) program since its inception in 2001. He also manages two other related programs.

MARS is part of DCEO's Community Development Block Grant designed to assist small cities in counties with lower populations that have a need to make homes more accessible to their residents. Call says the MARS programs focuses primarily on improving physical accessibility for people with mobility impairments.

DCEO receives funding annually from the federal government to operate the program, and Call says he expects the agency will receive their $750,000 grant sometime in April. DCEO funneled additional unspent monies into the 2005 MARS grant program, so there is still currently $150,000 available from the '05 grant year.

Individual residents are not allowed to apply for MARS grant funding to make modifications to their home. Instead, application must come from a city or other governmental body.

Call says the grant funds are distributed on a fist come, first serve basis, so the number of homes a city plans to modify isn't an issue.

"A grant can modify one house or six, it doesn't matter as long as they meet the requirements and there is funding available," said Call.

Communities eligible for MARS grant funding must:

• Not be an entitlement city;
• Not have a population exceeding 50,000;
• Not be in a county with a population exceeding 500,000;
• Complete the grant application process within the allotted time frames.

Call says larger communities are not left out when it comes to this type of federal assistance.

"Entitlement cities, or cities with populations exceeding 50,000, have a direct access to HUD (Hosing and Urban Development) grant funding," said Call. "Smaller cities don't."

MARS funding is extremely versatile and has been used to correct a wide variety of accessibility issues. Everything from ramps to bathroom modifications have been done with the money, and Call reports that many times the modifications have helped residents avoid institutionalization. Turnaround time on a MARS grant from a city's pre-application to the finished home modifications can be done as quickly as 90 days.

So far in the 2005 MARS grant year 49 homes located in 10 different communities have been made more accessible through the program. Call say that communities all over Illinois have taken advantage of the grant program and that need is great.

To learn more about the MARS grant program, contact Tim Call at (217) 558-2833. To learn more about DCEO go online at http://www.commerce.state.il.us/dceo .



By Tonia Bogener, IDHHC Chief Legal Council

Imagine relying on an interpreter to facilitate communication with state offices, courts, lawyers, doctors, hospitals, financial institutions and employment trainings, just to name a few. What happens if the public entity uses a staff person who has had a six-week course in sign language instead of a qualified interpreter? What about having your fourteen-year daughter tell you in basic sign that you have cancer and less than four months to live because the hospital didn’t provide a qualified sign language interpreter? These are common scenarios that face deaf and hard of hearing consumers’ everyday.

On January 12, 2006, SB2292 was introduced by Senator Maggie Crotty which would create the Illinois Interpreters for the Deaf Licensure Act of 2006. SB2292 is the result of several years of work from Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission (IDHHC). IDHHC Com-missioners based their recommendations on the final report of the Interpreter Taskforce. The Interpreter Taskforce was made up of representatives not only from the deaf and hard of hearing community, but certified interpreters and interpreter referral agencies. IDHHC then hosted town hall meetings for the community throughout the state to present the recommendations for interpreter licensure. Sen. Deanna Demuzio took over as chief cosponsor of SB2292 on January 24, 2006.

Upon becoming law, the Interpreters for the Deaf Licensure Act of 2006 would require all interpreters in the State of Illinois to be licensed. Interpreter licensure will provide a means of enforcement to stop those individuals working as an interpreter without the proper training and/or qualifications. Interpreter licensure not only provides the needed protection to deaf and hard of hearing consumers but also benefits both the interpreter profession and public entities that provide interpreters. Licensure will help the profession grow. Increasing awareness of the profession will lead to further development of interpreter training programs and continuing education programs, ultimately increasing the number of qualified interpreters in Illinois. Plus, public entities who hire interpreters will have guidelines to ensure that interpreters are qualified to provide services in particular settings.

Interpreter licensure will not be required of educational interpreters providing services solely in grades K–12. Educational interpreters are regulated by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). ISBE established regulations for educational interpreters last year. A copy of those regulations can be downloaded from IDHHC’s website at: http://www.idhhc.state.il.us/interpreter/educationinterpreter.htm .

After becoming law, IDHHC is responsible for developing rules to implement the Interpreters for the Deaf Licensure Act of 2006. The Act gives the foundation and basic requirements for interpreter licensure. Rules are necessary to provide the administrative details for carrying out interpreter licensure, such as the specific procedures for filing an application. The rulemaking process allows for public comment by the general public prior to the adoption of the rules. More information about the rulemaking process can be found at http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/.

A full copy of SB2292 and its status can be located at the Illinois General Assembly’s website at http://www.ilga.gov. Don’t forget to sign up for IDHHC email alert to receive information about SB2292 but also general information related to the deaf and hard of hearing community. To sign up, send an email to Email: webmaster@idhhc.state.il.us , subject Email Alert and include your name and preferred email address in the body of your email.



By Ray Campbell

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 was Primary Election Day in Illinois. This was to be a very important primary as we are electing candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer. In my congressional district, the incumbent who has served for 30 years is retiring, so we are electing someone to replace him. There were also several local races on the ballot along with two referendum questions. On Election Day, after having listened to the debates, interviews with the candidates and learned all I could about them, I prepared to go to vote as I have before. I chose to vote after work on my way home. The bus let me off across from the middle school where I would be voting. I entered the school and requested and received assistance to get to the area where voting was taking place.

An election judge met me and I proceeded to sign in and declare for which party I wanted to take a ballot. In the Primary, you have to declare which party ballot you want to vote in Illinois. The first judge had another judge, a nice lady by the name of Mary, assist me to the voting machine.

At that moment, something which had never happened before at the polls happened. Mary handed me a pair of headphones and asked if I wanted an audio only ballot. It was at that moment, I realized the way I would vote was to be changed forever. Mary handed me a card which looked like a credit card and assisted me in finding a slot on the machine into which I was to insert the card. I held the card and pushed it from right to left into the slot until it clicked per Mary's directions.

I put on the headphones Mary had handed to me. The screen on the machine went blank except for a message that read "canceled Ballot." Mary was concerned about this message, but I told her I was receiving audio instructions on how to use the voting machine. Mary left me to vote.

After hearing all of the instructions on the use of the machine, I pressed "9" as directed. My left hand was on a keypad that looked exactly like the pad on a touch tone telephone. When I pressed "9," I heard a voice say something about official primary ballot for DuPage County, Illinois.

It was here, I was really going to vote independently using an audio ballot. The first race presented to me was for Governor. A clear, easy to understand voice read me the names of the candidates as I pressed the "6" key to move forward from one to another. When I got to the candidate I wanted, I pressed the "5" key. When I had finished with the Governor's race, I moved on to Lieutenant Governor. Again, a clear, easy to understand human voice read each of the four candidates' names as I used the "6" key to move through the list. And again, when I found the one I wanted to vote for, I pressed "5."

This same sequence of events was repeated all the way down the ballot. For the first time, when I reached the two referenda, I heard every word of the language for each one. Wow, do they write a lot in for those questions. After making my choice on the second of the referenda, I heard the machine say I had reached the end of the ballot and that I could print my ballot and hear an audio summary of it. I pressed "1" to do this as directed.

At this point, a printer started making noise on the machine and, through my headphones, I heard the audio summary of the ballot. After listening all the way through the ballot, I was told that I could press "9" to cast my ballot. I pressed "9" and was told my ballot had been cast and asked to remove the card I had inserted earlier.

I had actually cast my vote independently for the first time in my life. I think the whole polling place could see the mile wide smile across my face as I did it. Only I knew who I had voted for and I could choose to tell or not tell anyone else. For the first time, I actually knew my ballot was marked with the choices I had made. Wow, what a liberating feeling. Mary came back to the machine to help me out of the polling place when I finished voting and asked me how I liked it. Fighting back tears, I said, "I've been voting for 22 years and this is the first time I have ever voted a secret ballot."

Two of my neighbors were finishing up voting as I did, and they offered me a ride home. They had been watching me, fascinated by the machine I had been using. They asked me about it and I told them how I had heard all the candidates and made my choices independently.

One of my favorite things to do on the night of any election is to listen to the radio and track on-line as the results come in. On the night of March 21, doing this was extra special because I knew which candidates had won and lost and knew how my vote had affected this. As I checked on-line through our county election commission for the local results, I could see how many votes the candidates I had chosen got and know that my vote really was one of them.

My thanks and compliments to DuPage County's election commission for doing such a good job both of getting the machines set up and, more importantly, of training the judges on how to properly assist me in using them. I have always looked forward to voting on Election Day, but I will do so now with even greater anticipation. I can't wait until November 7 to do it again. In the past, I was skeptical of accessible voting, wondering if it would really ever happen in DuPage County. Now that it's here, there's no turning back!



By: CCDI Member Ruth Roeder

In 1990, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis PERIOD! And I do mean, PERIOD! The answer to the normal question of “what do I do now?” was answered with, “If you wake up and can’t walk or see call me.” Being a teacher, the first thing I did was run (while I still could) to the library. It didn’t take me long to find that my best bet would be The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. That was the beginning of an incredible journey that would completely change my life and everyone around me in ways that even I have trouble putting into words.

My first adventure was 3 years later when I realized that my increasing physical challenges were going to require some changes in my usual routine. It did not occur to me that I should not teach. It was my life. Being able to spend time with children was why I got up in the morning. The first thing that came into my head was a classroom aide, so I wrote a letter to my employer to that effect.

Later, I was invited to a meeting. I walked into the room and saw my employer and his assistant, the superintendent of the district I was assigned to and the principal of the building in which I worked. My employer asked me to resign. I was shocked but a Higher Power took over and I said no. Later, the superintendent told me he was glad and the district would support me in any way they could.

This time I let my fingers do the walking in the yellow pages. I felt moved to call an agency called Options in Kankakee. It’s a CIL (Center for Independent Living). They gave me a personal counselor who calmed me down and gave me some good ideas and resources. She really made me feel like this was a beginning and not an ending.

After talking to her, I called the Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois (CCDI). They sent me a copy of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Reading that gave me hope that there were things I could do. I had learned from previous experience that the best thing for me when faced with a problem is to spring into action. Next I called the Multiple Sclerosis Society and they said they would do an on-site job evaluation and suggest accommodations. My employer was requiring 2 physicals, one by my neurologist and one by a doctor of their choice, and a psychological evaluation.

Having all those results, I was able to continue teaching. I started using a wheelchair in the classroom to help with mobility and was given a walkie-talkie so I could contact the office if I needed assistance (no intercoms yet). They also made sure there was a strong, experienced teacher nearby the children could go to if necessary. By then, someone had contacted a local newspaper that there was a disabled teacher that might be fired. When the paper contacted my employer the situation seemed to vanish.

Of course, through the years, many more accommodations were necessary, until I finally had to quit, but I felt good about all that I had accomplished and the learning experiences for all involved in my struggle were invaluable.

One time, someone questioned a student about the disabled teacher. They responded that there was no disabled teacher in their building. When asked about the teacher in the wheelchair, they responded that I was not disabled, I just used a wheelchair. Being able to change views about people with physical challenges made my struggle even more precious to me.



By Jessica Hayes, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator

"My mom couldn't get out of the house anymore," said Geri Wattman (45) of Alsip, IL. "She is in the late stages of Alzheimer's and uses a wheelchair most of the time."

Wattman's mother Lottie (79) and her father Walter Majewski (84) have lived in their Worth, IL home for the past 51 years, and moving them wasn't an option. Wattman began looking for resources that could help to make the front of her parents' home more accessible, and was eventually referred to the Ramp Up Foundation by a social worker from Shriner's Hospital.

Ottavio Finaldi, Program Director of the Ramp Up Foundation, says the basic mission of the program, "Is to find people with disabilities who need access in and out of their homes . . . or internal updates, and find the resources to make it happen."

Finaldi heads up the Foundation based at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Greater Chicago's Tinley Park office. Finaldi is quick to point out though that the Ramp Up program is statewide, and recipients aren't limited to just those who have cerebral palsy.

Since the program's inception in 2004, 26 projects including the Majewski home, have been completed to date. Those projects entail everything from wooden ramps outside of people's homes, to bathroom remodels focused on accessibility.

Finaldi says the program uses a unique mix of funding and resources to operate. The bulk of Ramp Up's funding comes from the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) in the form of a two year renewable grant for $750,000. Additional funding comes through a variety of other sources including the City of Chicago Department of Housing, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Dr. Scholl, Boeing Employee Community Fund, Northern Trust Company, the Coleman Foundation and the Leo S. Gustman Fund.

"The Ramp Up Foundation has varying requirements with our different funders," said Finaldi. Because of this, he went on to explain that the Foundation frequently has to get creative in matching people up with available resources.

Ramp Up funding can be used to pay for all soft cross (administration, architectural, legal description. . .) and hard cross (actual construction) fees. Employing only two full-time and one part-time staff person, the Ramp Up Foundation is involved in almost every aspect of construction.

Even though the program is statewide, most of the families who have received assistance from Ramp Up live in the Chicago-land area, according to Finaldi. They also have some other similarities too. Finaldi says that many of the Ramp Up families either have aging parents who have acquired disabilities, or children who as they grow are needing larger wheelchairs and are becoming far less easy to transfer.

Wattman said that Ramp Up was able to do a lot more than just build a ramp at her parents' front door. What would have been a 45 foot long wooden ramp, was instead changed to an electronic lift system. All of the home's electrical systems were brought up to code to accommodate the new lift, and major changes were made to one of the Mejewski's bathrooms. A new toilet, sink, grab bars and motorized bathtub lift were installed.

"We had to make the bathroom safe," said Wattman. “They gutted almost everything in the room.”

While some limits do exist on how much can be spent on a Ramp Up project, the Majewski’s were able to have extensive modifications done to their home.

“All total it was a $16,000 job,” said Wattman.

The original intent of the accessibility modifications was to help Wattman's mother, but she is quickly finding out that the changes are a benefit to everyone. "I'm her primary caregiver," said Wattman. "This had made life so much easier."

In addition, Wattman's father has been diagnosed with cancer and undergone several surgeries over the past few months. Wattman says the new accessibility features have aided a great deal in his recovery.

Ramp Up Foundation can be reached at
(708) 444-8460 (ext.272)
UCP of Greater Chicago
Ramp Up Foundation
7550 W. 183rd St.
Tinley Park, IL 60477