ADA 25 Chicago launches a first-of-its-kind Leadership Institute for People with Disabilities

Published: July 27, 2015

Leveraging the 25^th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Chicagoland Organizations Commit to Further Progress

CHICAGO, IL -- July 23, 2015 -- This Sunday, July 26, marks the 25^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law, sparking a new era of civil rights for people with disabilities in the U.S. Despite 25 years of progress, people with disabilities still have higher poverty rates, lower employment and poorer educational outcomes than those without disabilities.

"The ADA drastically transformed the lives of people living with all kinds of disabilities -- both visible and invisible -- but many improvements are still needed. This milestone anniversary is an opportunity to ignite progress toward overcoming the remaining hurdles for the next 25 years and beyond," said Marca Bristo, co-chair of ADA 25 Chicago, CEO of Access Living and long-time disability rights advocate.

In Chicago, a network of more than 160 civic organizations, government agencies and businesses have come together to commemorate the anniversary by committing to new programs and initiatives within their organizations that will help make Metropolitan Chicago more accessible and inclusive for all. Under ADA 25 Chicago, these local organizations are part of a Partners Network working together to fulfill the promise of the ADA, particularly in the areas of education, employment, community inclusion and technology.

One of ADA 25 Chicago's legacy projects officially launching this week isThe Leadership Institute for People with Disabilities. The vision is to create a pipeline of select individuals with visible and invisible disabilities who will be prepared for civic leadership in the Chicago region to serve on boards and commissions, secure appointed leadership positions and advance professionally in the nonprofit, government and private sectors.

Exelon is the founding sponsor of the Leadership Institute. Other early supporters include The Chicago Community Trust, Deloitte and ManpowerGroup.

"Programs like the newly established Leadership Institute for People with Disabilities deliver on our key values of diversity and inclusion, and support a changing workforce for years to come," said Steve Solomon, Vice President Corporate Relations, Exelon. "Greater inclusion of people with disabilities in business and community life is not just a moral imperative, but is also an economic advantage for our region."

Qualified candidates for the Leadership Institute, who ideally have seven-to-12 years of demonstrated management and leadership experience and have a passion for engagement in civic life, can be nominated for and apply to the inaugural Leadership Institute for People with Disabilities to be held December 3 - 6, 2015 by visiting:www.ada25chicago.org/partners/leadership-institute-for-people-with-disabilities/

Other ADA 25 Chicago legacy initiatives currently underway include:

The newly reestablished Chicagoland Business Leadership Network -- Illinois' only affiliate of the United States Business Leadership Network, a national non-profit, non-partisan business-to-business network promoting workplaces, marketplaces and supply chains where people with disabilities are included. As of today, the CBLN has 15 committed partners, including AT&T, Comcast, Deloitte, Discover Financial Services, EY, Grainger, KPMG, Northern Trust and Walgreens, among others.

The 25 for 25 Cultural Access Project -- A network of more than 30 Chicagoland theaters, museums and other cultural organizations committed to going above and beyond current accessibility to make cultural experiences more inclusive and accessible for all guests. Examples range from beginning to schedule open captioning regularly throughout a season, to ensuring the organization's website is accessible to screen-reader users, to installing physical upgrades. Participating organizations include the Chicago Children's Museum, Chicago History Museum, the Field Museum, Goodman Theatre, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Kohl Children's Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, Lyric Opera, Morton Arboretum, Shedd Aquarium, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and many more.

In addition to these legacy projects, members of the ADA 25 Chicago Partners Network are making commitments to improve the lives of people with disabilities for years to come. For example, a legal committee assembled by Equip for Equality, Dentons and private, public and non-profit legal partners are working to raise awareness among attorneys to make the legal profession more inclusive. One outcome inspired by the work of that committee is the new ADA 25 Equal Justice Works Legal Fellowship. Sponsored by the global law firm of McDermott Will & Emery and coordinated by Equal Justice Works, this bi-annual fellowship program will provide one law school graduate with a disability a two-year fellowship at a local Chicago legal services organization starting next fall.

More than one in 10 Illinoisans and nearly 820,000 residents in the seven-country region report living with a disability (click here for additional regional data). The ADA ensures that people with disabilities have equal rights to pursue personal, educational and professional ambitions and to participate fully in public life. Because of the ADA, public transportation, public spaces and communications are now more accessible than ever.

ADA 25 Chicago was initiated by The Chicago Community Trust, which invested $1 million to create and implement the 2015 initiative. Exelon, Walgreens and Motorola Mobility joined as Anniversary and Program Sponsors. ADA 25 Chicago and its Partners Network will report back in November with a two-day Opportunity Summit that features and discusses partner commitments and long-term legacy projects that will drive momentum for years to come.

For more information, visit: www.ADA25Chicago.org. Follow ADA 25 Chicago on Facebook (/ADA25Chicago) and Twitter (@ADA25Chicago) and engage in the conversation using #ADA25Chicago

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ABOUT ADA 25 CHICAGO:

ADA 25 Chicago is a network of civic partners who have come together to commemorate and advance a civil rights milestone -- the 25^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Despite 25 years of progress, people with disabilities still have higher poverty rates, lower employment and poorer educational outcomes than those without disabilities. ADA 25 Chicago is convening leaders from throughout the region to commit to new programs and initiatives that will build awareness and expand access, inclusion and opportunity for people with disabilities in the key areas of education, employment, community inclusion and technology. The vision of ADA 25 Chicago is to help make Metropolitan Chicago the most inclusive region in the nation. The Chicago Community Trust is the lead supporter of ADA 25 Chicago. For more information, please visit www.ADA25Chicago.org. #ADA25Chicago

Keywords: ADA, ADA25, Americans with Disabilities Act, Exelon, Motorola Mobility, Walgreens