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There is a lot happening at Equip for Equality this fall. We are celebrating landmark court decisions, welcoming new Fellows, testifying in hearings, getting ready for #GivingTuesday, and helping families affected by the Illinois State Board of Education's inquiry into Chicago Public Schools. Our fall newsletter highlights some of the biggest successes and challenges we are currently facing. |
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In 2016, our Special Education Rights Clinic’s free Helpline started seeing a pattern of cuts in critical services to special education students in Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
To address this systemic issue, we joined a coalition of thirteen parent-centered organizations to form the Advocates Group.
The coalition's actions led to a Public Inquiry by the Illinois State Board of Education that found CPS’s practices were stopping tens of thousands of students from receiving the services they desperately needed.
Read Full Article
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Twenty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Olmstead v. L.C. that the unjustified institutionalization of people with disabilities is discrimination under the ADA.
For many people with disabilities, this was a watershed moment on par with Brown v. Board of Education. Olmstead says that separate will never be equal for people with disabilities.
On Olmstead’s 20th anniversary, let’s look back on how this momentous decision came to be, how it affected the lives of people with disabilities, and what still needs to be done.
Read Full Article
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Thanks to the support of our generous pro bono partners and the legal community, three new Fellows joined Equip for Equality this fall. We are excited to have Anne Gallerano, Sydney Penny, and William Hrabe join us.
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EFE in the News
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Legislators grill Chicago over special education shortcomings
EFE Supervising Attorney, Amanda Klemas, spoke to a committee of the Illinois General Assembly. Her testimony is covered in an article from Chalkbeat. “We have received enough calls from families to know problems in the corrective action process are occurring at concerning rates,” said Klemas when speaking of the harm staff shortages did to students in special education.
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Unequal Access
In an article about reasonable accommodations in higher education, The Chicago Maroon states, "It was only after Equip for Equality’s legal team sent the University a two-and-a-half-page long letter that Aguirre was finally granted a fourteenth quarter with a letter of accommodation in December of 2017."
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Letter: Unfair to pay workers with disabilities less than minimum wage
"The time has come to phase out this grossly disparate payment scheme, while at the same time ensuring that all people with disabilities spend their days in a manner that is meaningful to them," writes Equip for Equality Founder/President & CEO, Zena Naiditch, in this letter to the editor about paying workers with disabilities subminimum wage.
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Can Blind Prisoners Sue Their Way to Better Treatment?
Equip for Equality is mentioned as helping a legally blind prisoner file a federal lawsuit to gain access to education. “For two years [Williams] has been continuously denied any ability to work, take educational classes, or obtain his GED.”
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Twenty years after Olmstead ruling, challenges for disabled remain
Barry C. Taylor, Vice President for Civil Rights and Systemic Litigation, penned a column on the 20th anniversary of the Olmstead ruling in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Barry’s piece celebrates the historic victory and lays out some of the challenges that people with disabilities still face.
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| Symposium for a Safer Lake County
November 08, 2019 - Join Lydia Sharp, Representative Payee Monitor and EFE Staff Attorney, for a talk called “Providing Legal Services for Seniors and People with Disabilities" with Tom Wendt from the Center for Disability and Elder Law.
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#GivingTuesday 2019
December 3, 2019 - We will once again celebrate the global day of giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Be on the lookout for more information soon on how you can help us make 2019's #GivingTuesday a huge success.
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| Kent Employment Law Conference
December 6, 2019 - Equip for Equality Attorney, Rachel Weisberg, will present "Hot Topics in ADA and FMLA Litigation" at the Kent Employment Law Conference. Attorneys attending the conference are eligible for CLE credits.
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If you are interested in learning more about our programs or reading about some of our recent successes, a great place to start is our most recent annual report.
Download a PDF version here.
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Equip for Equality administers the federally mandated Protection & Advocacy System for Illinois. State Protection & Advocacy Systems serve as legal advocates for people with disabilities and as an independent watchdog. To carry out our responsibilities under federal law, we are granted broad, federal statutory powers.
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This publication is made possible by funding support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration on Disabilities of the Administration for Community Living and the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; the Social Security Administration; and the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration.
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