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Welcome to the April 2008 issue of the Real Choice Newsletter In this Issue Upcoming Events About REAL CHOICE The Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois is people with disabilities organizing for freedom and choice. We are a grassroots, citizen action organization consisting of people with disabilities and their supporters. For more on the Campaign, go to realchoiceinillinois.org Pass it on Know anyone who might be interested in our newsletter? Click here to forward this email to up to 5 friends at once. |
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Where Do Illinois the Candidates Stand? 
On November 2nd, Illinois voters will elect all 118 Representatives in the Illinois House and 40 of the 59 members of the Illinois Senate. These officials will have tremendous influence over the lives of thousands of people with disabilities who rely on state funded services. Clearly, it is imperative that folks with disabilities and their families and friends know where candidates stand our issues. That's why the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois and several disability groups across the state are distributing a questionnaire to all candidates for the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate. Topics include civil rights, integrated community living, education, employment, and more. The questionnaire will soon be posted on the Campaign website. The questionnaire will be a way to learn candidates' positions on disability issues. Several organizations will publish their responses in newsletters and the Campaign will post responses on our website. To make sure that we get a highest number of responses possible, we need you! Every candidate receives dozens of questionnaires from all kinds of groups so ours needs to stand out. We need you to contact candidates in your district and tell them it's important that they respond to your questions. If you are willing to contact candidates in your district and ask them to respond to the questonnaire, please email Jennifer Knapp at jen@realchoiceinillinois.org Disability History Legislation Education is essential in changing attitudes toward people with disabilities. To encourage education, the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois is joining Illinois Voices and other groups in promoting the Disability History and Awareness Legislation (House Bill 4537), which was recently introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives. This piece of legislation requires public schools in Illinois to include disability history and the disability rights movement in each grade’s curriculum. Please encourage your local representatives to support Illinois House Bill 4537. The more we learn about each other, the more accepting we will become. For more information, contact Amy Walker at AWalker@maconresources.org Illinois Falls Further Down in DD Services 
The latest State of the States on Developmental Disabilities came out recently. Based on 2006 data, Illinois sank deeper towards the bottom in most areas. In fact, Illinois ranks dead last (51st) in supporting people in settings of 1-6 people. Here are some more of the highlights (or lowlights):
Clearly, there is no way to go but up! For specific ideas of how Illinois can improve, read about the Blueprint below. Proposed Plan for Change in Illinois Released 
A new report, Blueprint for System Redesign in Illinois, confirms the need for an overhaul of the current support system serving people with developmental disabilities. The report, provided by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities and writen by Human Services Research Institute, identifies key issues in need of change and offers an action plan that could be realistically executed by the state over a seven-year period. The Blueprint presents the state with a feasible and well-thought-out plan to strengthen its community services system by adequately funding services, expanding community-based supports in place of existing state run institutions, improving certain infrastructures and implementing individual budget allocation practices. But, it is more than just a report about government and mechanisms of care. It represents the way forward toward freedom for thousands of people with developmental disabilities in Illinois. The Blueprint tells the state how to do it. Now the question becomes – do our state’s public officials have the will to implement it? To view the report, click here. New DD Director Wants to Hear Your Story The Family Support Network is co-hosting four Listening Sessions scattered all around the state with DD Director Lilia Teninty. The Listening Sessions are for people with developmental disabilities and their families. This is an opportunity to let your voice shape what services in Illinois will look like in the future. Come and share what is working for you and what is not. Here are the dates and locations: April 2nd, 6:30pm April 3rd, 6:30pm April 15th, 6:30pm April 23rd, 6:30pm
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