From the Archives: 2015 – ADA 25 Chicago

December 3rd is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a day that advances awareness of issues faced by the disability community. In 2022, over 550,000 residents, or roughly 10 percent of the population, in Cook County lived with a disability. People with disabilities face considerable barriers to education and employment, leading to high poverty rates. The obstacles experienced by people with disabilities to fully participate in school, the workforce, and their communities result in a considerable loss of talent and potential that could benefit the region.  

Next July, disability communities across the country will celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a landmark civil rights law that prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities. This law was a significant step towards greater inclusion of individuals with disabilities in public life. It changed how people saw individuals with disabilities – as valuable members of society who deserve equal opportunities to contribute and thrive.  

In 2015, the Trust saw the ADA’s 25th anniversary as an opportunity to carry on the work of the ADA’s champions by creating new pathways for individuals with disabilities to fully participate in public life. In 2015, we committed $1 million to establish ADA 25 Chicago, an initiative that leveraged the ADA’s 25th anniversary to increase the inclusion and empowerment of people with disabilities in the Chicago region. Led by Executive Director Emily Harris, the initiative brought together 200 partner organizations to promote equal opportunity and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities.  

Throughout the year, ADA 25 Chicago’s partners raised awareness of the disability community through celebrations, educational and cultural events, conferences, tours, and programs across the city. They created initiatives that improved the quality of life for people with disabilities in the areas of education, employment, community building, and technology. Many partners committed to improving accessibility for people with disabilities as a priority in their work.  

ADA 25 Chicago recognized the lack of disability representation in the institutions that held the greatest power and influence in the Chicago region. It established an initiative in December 2015 to build a strong network of individuals with disabilities serving in civic leadership positions in Chicago. This initiative, ADA 25 Advancing Leadership, was the first program of its kind in the country and was initially incubated at the Trust. It became an independent nonprofit in October 2019 and rebranded to Disability Lead in 2021. Today, it continues to grow the power and influence of individuals with disabilities as civic and professional leaders in the Chicago region.  

ADA 25 Chicago also galvanized the work of the Trust’s Disabilities Fund, created in 2004 with a gift from the Naomi Williams Donnelley Fund. In its early years, the fund, chaired by Dr. Henry Betts, focused on policy reform and advocacy. Today, the fund is led by an advisory board that reflects the diversity of Chicago’s disability community. Through the Disabilities Fund, the Trust continues its commitment to develop programs and policies that promote empowerment, equal opportunity, participation, and inclusion of people with disabilities in the Chicago region.