Are you a parent of a child with a disability or a community member interested in gaining a strong understanding of the special education system? The Parent Advocacy Leadership (PAL) program is a free training series designed to help you navigate the special education process Illinois.

Requirements:

Willing to attend all eight sessions,

Willing to complete pre and post-survey,

Training will cover:

The Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA)

State law (Part 226)

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Section 504

Advocacy

Current Special Education Issues

Family Resource Center on Disabilities is excited to announce that registration for our Fall PAL

Training Cohort of 2022 is open.

All training will be virtual. The PAL is eight sessions long. Homework is required

and must be completed prior to each session. Participants who complete all eight sessions will receive a Parent Advocacy Leadership Certificate of Completion.

Each training session will be on Saturday from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm (excluding holidays) via Zoom Meeting.

The PAL Session Dates Include:

September 10th, September 17th, September 24th, October 1st, October 8th, October 15th, October 22nd, October 29th.

For more information contact Paula Wills at [email protected] or call (312) 939-3513.

The Arc of Illinois Legislative Advocacy Coordinator Do you have a passion for advocating alongside people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in Illinois? The Arc of Illinois is looking for a part time Legislative Advocacy Coordinator who is interested in working in the field of disability advocacy, supports, and services. This is a remote position. The Arc of Illinois advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, families and community organizations to ensure that people with disabilities can live, work, learn, and play in communities across the state. The Arc offers resources and information, supports families in their individual advocacy efforts and trains and educates people with disabilities, families and professionals among other things.

To learn more, please visit our website: www.thearcofil.org Position Summary: The Legislative Advocacy Coordinator is responsible for coordinating legislative advocacy activities under the general direction of the Executive Director of The Arc of Illinois and in conjunction with its lobbyist and Board of Directors.

Duties

• Assist in the research and development of policy initiatives to address unmet needs of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in collaboration with The Arc of Illinois Executive Director and Program Directors;
• Coordinate and prepare agendas for the meetings of The Arc of Illinois’s Public Policy Committee in collaboration with the Executive Director, Committee co-chairs and lobbyist as well as attend the committee meetings and prepare meeting notes;
• Prepare or assist in the preparation of fact sheets and other information to support The Arc of Illinois’s position on legislation at the direction of the Executive Director and/or lobbyist;
• Communicate with The Arc of Illinois membership about policy priorities of The Arc in collaboration with the Development Director and the Events and Marketing Coordinator;
• Monitor federal, state and local legislative and policy developments related to intellectual and developmental disabilities in coordination with the Executive Director and lobbyist;
• Schedule meetings with legislators and other public officials as requested by the Executive Director and attend meetings as requested;
• Develop a list of members of The Arc of Illinois throughout the state who are willing to contact their legislators on key issues;
• Secure witness slips and/or oral or written testimony from organizations and individuals for hearings on key legislation as requested by the Executive Director and/or lobbyist;
• Develop or expand functional use of the Illinois General Assembly website (www.ilga.gov) in collaboration with the lobbyist;
• Attend meetings of disability coalitions as directed by the Executive Director;
• Assist in the coordination of legislative advocacy events;
• Participate in advocacy events (e.g., Speak Up and Speak Out Summit and disability awareness events) and
• Other related duties as assigned by the Executive Director. Requirements:
• Must be an Illinois resident;
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in a related field such as public policy or political science;
• Strong interest in developing or expanding legislative advocacy skills;
• Knowledge of the IDD service system in Illinois and nationwide trends in community supports;
• Familiarity with the legislative process in Illinois and a strong interest in learning more;
• Ability to communicate with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families with compassion and respect;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (including the ability to distill important issues and explain in plain language);
• Excellent organizational skills; and
• Willing to attend occasional evening and weekend advocacy events as well as occasionally travel as necessary to fulfill job duties. If you are interested in this position, please email your resume to [email protected] The Arc of Illinois is an equal opportunity employer.

Family Resource Center on Disabilities honors the life and legacy of Paula Goldberg, Executive Director of the PACER Center since 1977.  Our deepest condolences go out to her family and the PACER staff.

Her dedication to the empowerment of the disability community was boundless and inspired us all to be change agents for children in the special education system. We are eternally grateful for all that she did and will continue to follow her example.  Thank you,  Paula! May you rest in power.

Share your memories and stories of Paula by visiting the PACER Center’s In Memoriam pages, at:  https://www.pacer.org/about/memoriam/

Aramark has struggled to keep CPS schools clean. It was just a few months ago when an SW side school did not have toilet paper or soap in bathrooms for weeks. This is not new for Chicago families – this has been an issue since Aramark privatized custodial services in 2014. Read more about CPS’s issues with Aramark over the years here. Despite all this, Aramark’s contract was renewed last year for $369 million over 3 years.

Raise Your Hand for Illinois Public Education is sending out a quick survey to gather leaders who want to fight for cleaner conditions in CPS schools.

Take survey: https://www.ilraiseyourhand.org/action-items/cleanliness-survey