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Protestors Rally to Keep Medicaid Services

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A protestor holds a sign expressing the sentiments of the gathering on Sept. 21. Photo by Mary C. Piemonte.

A protestor at a Sept. 21 rally against potential cuts to federal health care programs. Photo by Mary C. Piemonte.

Seniors and people with disabilities rallied outside of Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago this week, chanting “We will not be silent,” in an attempt to block cuts to Medicaid and Medicare.

The protestors were responding to on-going negotiations by the congressional “Super-Committee,” which is seeking ways to reduce the federal deficit, and may propose cuts to existing federal government programs.

The protestors gathered on Sept. 21 represented diverse organizations around the city and demanded that Illinois’ U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) “expand the use of home and community-based services; de-medicalize community services; expand consumer directed service options; reorganize Medicaid services to eliminate wasteful bureaucracy; and defend Social Security.”

The protest was organized by ADAPT and the Taskforce for Attendant Services, an advocacy group of Access Living, which is an organization for people with disabilities. The event was held “in solidarity” with a national protest happening in Washington D.C. and other protests throughout the country, according to Tom Wilson, an organizer with Access Living.

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Disability Rights Advocates Protest, and Gov. Quinn Retreats

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Illinois Governor Pat Quinn heard the cries of the protestors who rallied outside the James Thompson Center urging him to “Stop the Train Wreck” in planned cuts to human services.

Last year, Quinn announced that he planned to impose more than $200 million in reductions to the state’s Department of Human Services, including cuts to mental health services, developmental disability services and centers for independent living.

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Changes to Federal Affirmative Action Law Underway

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The US Department of Labor is asking members of the public to strengthen affirmative action rules for people with disabilities, including veterans.

Patricia Shiu, director of the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, talking to participants, including Residents' Journal, during a public discussion on affirmative action provisions under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, at the 536 S. Clark Street Chicago Federal Building on Aug. 20. Photo by Mary C. Johns

Patricia Shiu, director of the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, recently came to Chicago for a public discussion on affirmative action provisions under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Shiu called the meeting at the 536 S. Clark Street Chicago Federal Building on Aug. 20 to make the affirmative action provisions “more effective and to help ensure that more people with disabilities are employed and are given the opportunity to advance in employment in the federal contracting labor force,” according to statement from the Labor Department.

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Access Report

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In this continuing series of stories on the subject of access for the disabled residents of CHA, I have learned some interesting facts: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been law for more than seven years but lack of compliance to its rules and regulations remains a significant factor. Federally funded housing such as that provided by CHA has been rather slow in implementing access measures and it is very difficult to determine who or what specific entity may be blamed for these infractions. Read more »

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