Welcome to the September 2007 issue of the Real Choice Newsletter

In this Issue

	Introducing the Real Choice e-News!
	Campaign additions and changes
	Is the State of Illinois Approaching a "Tipping Point?"
	Campaign principles

Upcoming Events

LIBERTY LAUNCH - a massive mobilization effort to bring about effective, individualized supports so people with disabilities can live and participate in the community as equals. For more information, click here.

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.

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.

Introducing the Real Choice e-News!

Welcome to the monthly e-news from the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois. In these updates we will keep you informed on what is happening with the Campaign and let you know how you can get involved. Thanks for reading!

Campaign additions and changes

• Jennifer Knapp has now joined the Campaign full-time as our Lead Organizer. She has been working part-time for the Campaign since its inception in 2004, and recently graduated with her Master's in Communication from the University of Illinois. You can contact Jennifer at jen@realchoiceinillinois.org or (217)-493-5445 (the Campaign’s new number!)
• We have also updated our website, so check it out at www.realchoiceinillinois.org

Is the State of Illinois Approaching a "Tipping Point?"

By Lester Pritchard

In his book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell defines a “tipping point” as the moment when things happen so rapidly that it seems like everything can change all at once.

Many of us have been working for years (some of us for decades) to shift the State’s over reliance on institutions and nursing homes toward individually tailored, quality services that allow people with disabilities to make their own life choices. But recent events have led us to believe that the world of disability services in Illinois just might be approaching its own tipping point.

Consider the following recent occurrences: 

• Three lawsuits have been filed on behalf of individuals forced to live in private developmental disability institutions, institutes for mental diseases and nursing homes against the State of Illinois. These types of lawsuits have led to a shift toward community-based supports in other states where they have been filed.
• Federal officials have pulled funding for Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park due to inadequate management at the facility that led to mistreatment of its residents. The State is now picking up the entire $61 million tab for the facility’s operation. This situation is likely to create fiscal pressure on the State for the facility’s closure if federal funds are not restored soon.
• The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has started an investigation into possible civil rights violations at Howe and another institution in Anna, Choate Developmental Center. Past DOJ investigations in other states have resulted in systemic changes that favor transitioning people out of institutions. 
•  A new person has recently assumed the position of head of the Division Developmental Disabilities in Illinois. She comes from Indiana, a state that just recently closed its last state-operated institution for people with developmental disabilities. 
• This past spring, the feds awarded the State of Illinois $55 million over five years for a money-follows-the-person project. The funds will allow the State to transition certain people with disabilities from institutions to community-based settings. 
•  The national disability rights group, ADAPT, has decided to come to Chicago in September for its “national action.” About 500 individuals with disabilities will engage in civil disobedience tactics to draw attention to the bias toward institutions. Past ADAPT actions in other states have drawn public attention to this issue.

Is Illinois approaching a tipping point? If so, we need to be ready for it. We need to offer fresh visions that are practical, economically sound and that embody fundamental principles of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for all. If we don’t, when the institutional structure finally begins to crumble, people will merely be moved from large institutions to smaller ones.

As a step toward the future, The Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois has developed a vision that will be presented in our next E-news.

Campaign principles

We believe in:

Individuality – Disability services should be based on the needs and preferences of people with disabilities

Consumer Control – People with disabilities and their families should have control over their lives

Participatory Democracy – Citizens need to get involved in the political process

Friction – Meaningful reforms in disability services will only be gained by challenging the status quo

Action – Improving lives and altering the relations of power will be accomplished through united action

For more information on the Campaign, go to www.realchoiceinillinois.org