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VOICES ACROSS ILLINOIS
An Illinois Voices Rally Day at the State Capitol in Springfield held in
Springfield April 24-25, 2007
The Voices Across Illinois Rally Day was a huge success! One hundred and twenty-three self-advocates and support staff went to the Capital in Springfield on April 25, 2007, where they saw bills being debated and passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Illinois Voices was formally recognized on the House and Senate floors, and several self-advocates got to meet their representatives, senators, and even Governor Blagojevich!
A big part of the trip to the Capital was hand-delivering personalized letters to elected officials outlining a platform for change that Illinois Voices self-advocates developed. The changes included:
- More money for community agencies to pay employees competitive wages for supporting people with developmental disabilities instead of employees leaving their jobs because they can’t pay their bills;
- More money so that people with developmental disabilities can chose where and how they live in the community instead of having to settle for what’s available; and
- More money for transportation that is accessible, reliable, and affordable so that people with developmental disabilities can be fully active members of their communities.
Thanks to all the self-advocates and support staff for making the
Voices Across Illinois Rally Day a memorable event!
