Access Living

📣 ENIL Freedom Drive 2026 has begun!

From 29 September to 1 October, disabled people and allies are gathering in Brussels with a clear message: NO MORE EXCUSES – OUR TIME IS NOW!

We are demanding an end to EU funding for segregation and investment in Independent Living: personal assistance, accessible and affordable homes, inclusive employment, control over our own decisions, and equality for disabled women and girls.

These demands are about everyday freedom: to choose where we live, pursue the work we want and shape our own lives.

✊ Join our protest on Thursday 1 October!
📍 Parc du Cinquantenaire, Avenue de la Joyeuse Entrée 25, Brussels
🕘 Gathering and speeches from 09:15
🚶 March departs at 10:30 towards the European Parliament

Read our press release: https://shorturl.at/KHdt2

Let's talk about access in Cook County courts. Are you a person with a disability who's interacted with public defender's office or court system? We want to hear about your experience!

Join us at one of two community forums on the South and West sides, hosted by Access Living, Freedom Defense Centers, and Cook County Public Defender's Office. Your feedback is vital to improve accessibility in our court system.

📍South Side: Tuesday, Oct 6
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Freedom Defense Center of Roseland
11437 S. Michigan Ave

📍West Side: Wednesday, Oct 7
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Freedom Defense Center of Austin
5500 W. Madison Street

RSVP by scanning the QR code in the image above, emailing [email protected] or calling (312) 738‑739.

For more information visit cookcountypublicdefender.org/events

As a founding member of the Defend Community Integration Coalition (DCIC), we're sharing this important statement about yesterday's decision on the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit: https://www.accessliving.org/newsroom/action-alerts/advocacy-updates/texas-v-kennedy-abandons-federal-commitment-to-community-integration-statement-from-dcic/

In the coming days, we'll share ways that Illinoisans can take action to protect Section 504 and ensure that people with disabilities are never denied the right to live in the community.

Texas v. Kennedy Abandons Federal Commitment to Community Integration: Statement from DCIC - Access Living As a founding member of the Defend Community Integration Coalition, we are sharing this important statement regarding the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit. Access Living will share more about actions that Illinoisans […]

This November, all 21 seats on the Chicago school board will be up for grabs. Do you know how the candidates from your district are thinking about disability issues?

Access Living and Legal Council for Health Justice Legal Council for Health Justice asked them. Find out where school board candidates stand on the topics that are top of mind for families of students with disabilities, from cluster classrooms to inaccessible school buildings, the post-high school "disability cliff" and more.

With more than 55,000 students with disabilities in Chicago Public Schools, the school board plays in important role in making strides to ensuring that every student has the resources to succeed. Explore candidates' responses: https://www.accessliving.org/voting-for-change-cps-school-board-candidates-on-students-with-disabilities-2026/

On this World Gratitude Day we're kicking off Access Living's Week of Gratitude, an opportunity to say thank you to the community who makes our work possible. From donors to Consumers, staff to partners, and everyone in between, your support expands opportunities for people with disabilities and builds a more inclusive world.

Read more about our Week of Gratitude here: https://www.accessliving.org/newsroom/blog/week-of-gratitude-2026-september-21-25/

Housing subsidies are an important way many people access a stable, affordable, and accessible place to live. But anyone who's been through the application process knows that getting approved isn't easy.

And that's why protecting your housing subsidy is vital.

Whether you're struggling with which bills to pay first or knowing what paperwork is most important, we've got tips to ensure you don't lose access to your voucher or a place to call home.

🏠 Read more at accessliving.org/blog

"Can we truly call assisted su***de a choice when some people with disabilities cannot get the services and support they need to choose to live?...Illinois is creating a system in which the state will facilitate access to medication to end a terminally ill person’s life while it cannot guarantee that every person with a disability will have access to the healthcare, services, mental health treatment, palliative care, housing and personal assistance necessary to live."

In an op-ed in today's Chicago Tribune, Access Living healthcare policy analyst Sebastian Nalls responds to Illinois’ End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act, a physician-assisted su***de law which went into effect on Saturday.

Read the full piece at https://www.accessliving.org/newsroom/ or on the Tribune's site: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/14/letters-091426-flock-cameras/

Letters: The Tribune Editorial Board is right to question the proliferation of Flock cameras By rejecting BriefCam, Cook County would hit the pause button on a rapid, insufficiently scrutinized expansion of AI surveillance technology.