Disability advocacy and service organization breaking down barriers and serving Chicago
04/06/2026
Join Access Living and Chicago Cares for a community wellness event on May 28 from 9:30am-2:30pm! We’ll have food, games, wellness kits, mobility equipment washing, and more!
On the final day of Access Living celebrated the women we serve, the staff that drives our work, and took time to practice collective care with a brunch and time to engage in art and discussion.
03/25/2026
This afternoon, the Illinois Secretary of State’s office will hold a press conference on the rise of fraudulent text messages impersonating the DMV and the Illinois Secretary of State. As these scams become more sophisticated and target residents across the state.
Our office will NEVER text you about paying fines, payment requests or any personal information updates. These are phishing text messages trying to steal your confidential information.
Save the date for a powerful evening with Access Living! Join us June 18th at Morgan Manufacturing to celebrate the work of Access Living as we continue and working to create a more equitable and accessible world.
Join us for an evening with poet, storyteller, and social justice educator Eli Clare, reading from their newest book Unfurl: Survivals, Sorrows, and Dreaming. Women & Children First Bookstore will be on site with books available for purchase.
Rent is too high and communities across Illinois deserve stability.
Join the Lift the Ban Coalition for a hybrid town hall on Monday, March 16 from 7:00–8:30 PM to learn about the campaign to win rent stabilization across the state. Hear how rising rents and abusive landlord practices are impacting our communities, share your story, and learn how we can urge legislators to Lift the Ban on rent control now.
Attend in person or on Zoom.
Be sure to select “On Zoom” when you RSVP if you plan to join virtually so you receive the Zoom link. Register here: https://bit.ly/3NjuvCP
If you need interpretation, contact Iliana Haven at irhaven@accessliving.org or text 312-640-2158.
03/09/2026
There’s still time to register for Wednesday’s webinar!
Join Access Living, Disability Rights California, and The Arc Minnesota for on March 11: Being an Immigrant and Disabled in the U.S.: Defending Civil Rights Under Escalating Federal Enforcement.
This webinar will focus on coordinating support between disability and immigration advocates to provide more wholistic support to immigrants and their families.
Join Access Living, Disability Rights California, and The Arc Minnesota for on March 11: Being an Immigrant and Disabled in the U.S.: Defending Civil Rights Under Escalating Federal Enforcement.
This webinar will focus on coordinating support between disability and immigration advocates to provide more wholistic support to immigrants and their families.
Access Living joins the world today in honoring the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., the global human rights and social justice leader, as well as our friend and fellow proud Chicagoan. For decades, Reverend Jackson consistently showed up to support both Access Living and people with disabilities across the nation. A tremendous leader, well aware of our collective flawed humanity, he also consistently put his body on the line in solidarity with the most marginalized of our city and of the world. In his last years, Reverend Jackson was “one of us”: a person with a disability. In this photo, Reverend Jackson shakes the hand of disability giant Justin Dart, Jr., at one of the Congressional hearings to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act.
We send our condolences to Reverend Jackson’s family, friends and comrades from all walks of life. We will never forget, Reverend Jackson, that we are SOMEBODY!
Photo source: Library of Congress, photographed by R. Michael Jenkins.
Image description: At a Congressional hearing in Washington DC in 1989, the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., a Black man in a suit, shakes the hand of Justin Dart, Jr., a white wheelchair user in a suit with a cowboy hat and glasses.
02/11/2026
We had a full house last night for our event with ! Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate disability pride and the release of Lachi’s new book!
02/09/2026
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with purpose! 💖 Love Without Limits 2026 invites you to uplift disability inclusion, make a love pledge, and connect in community at Access Living on February 19, 1–5 p.m.
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The disability movement is really the story of many movements for the rights and freedom of people with disabilities. The work of Access Living was born from the work of the independent living movement, which co-exists with movements such as the self-advocacy movement, the Autistic movement, and others.
In 1972, the independent living movement, with roots in the civil rights and social change movements, began taking shape with the creation of the country's first center for independent living, the Berkeley Center for Independent Living. As other centers for independent living sprang up across the country, a new philosophy emerged -- an "independent living philosophy" that asserts that people with disabilities are their own best advocates and able to make the necessary decisions in order to live, work and socialize in the community. This was a significant shift away from the prevailing "medical model" which viewed people with disabilities as individuals who needed to be cared for. The community of people with disabilities entered the dawn of a new era.
In 1980, Access Living brought the independent living movement to Illinois when it was founded as part of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's quest to address the growing need for affordable, accessible housing for its patients ready to leave the RIC. Access Living remained a department within the RIC until 1984, when it became an independent non-profit group.
In the early 1980's society largely ignored people with disabilities. They were invisible: disrespected and viewed as little more than recipients of charity. Few options, if any, existed for to people with disabilities to engage in the community. Disabled people were segregated in housing, in schools, in cultural and sports arenas, in restaurants, shopping and entertainment. There was limited access to quality medical care, no accessible public transportation, no curb cuts, and communications access was rarely available. Employment opportunities were less than minimal. With early support from the RIC, Access Living’s committed staff took on the challenge of removing the obstacles that stood in the way of full equality for people with disabilities.
Chicago’s First Center for Independent Living
By the mid-1980's Access Living was a thriving non-profit organization, growing from a small storefront on North LaSalle Street to a much larger loft space, headquartered on Van Buren Street. But Access Living did not let its relative youth prevent it from tackling many of Chicago’s most pressing problems: the lack of housing, personal assistance and transportation options for people with disabilities. Successfully linking powerful advocacy efforts around these and other crucial issues to specific client needs enabled Access Living to turn clients into activists, and activists into leaders.
Support and Services
Access Living’s peer-based programs, including independent living skills training and peer counseling and support, provided thousands of people with the essential skills and motivation to take back control of their lives. For nearly three decades, Access Living has impacted the lives of thousands of individuals with disabilities through direct services, advocacy and education. Access Living’s mission, based on the philosophy of the Independent Living Movement, is to empower people with disabilities so they may lead dignified, independent lives and to foster an inclusive society for all people – with and without disabilities.
Advocacy
A vocal advocate on the forefront of local and national change, Access Living has played a key role in many of the improvements that took shape in Chicago and across the country. At home, Access Living has been a part of several campaigns to make mainline public transportation more accessible. Today, 100% of all CTA buses are lift-equipped.
Also, Access Living successfully advocated for and won the allocation of $30 million of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) budget Capital Improvement Plan for making CPS more accessible. In 2006, Access Living’s Youth Leaders led a effort to restore millions of dollars cut from the Public Schools Special Education Budget.
Nationally, Access Living initiated a disability housing coalition that was responsible for creating the Office on Disability Policy at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and had a leadership role in drafting and passing of the historic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), passed in 1990. Access Living also developed an innovative Fair Housing Testing Program, designed to identify discrimination against people with disabilities in the sale and rental of housing. Access Living’s Testing Program and Youth Program have served as models for the development of similar programs throughout the country. These examples are just some of the ways Access Living has made an unparalleled contribution to the progress of the disability community.
Living the Vision
In 2003 Access Living launched Living the Vision: The Campaign to Build a Permanent Home for Access Living. The goal of securing a permanent office space was to secure Access Living’s financial stability, while allowing the organization to continue to expand and pioneer new programs and standards of service for people with disabilities, both nationally and internationally.
On March 5, 2007, the dream became a reality when Access Living opened its doors at 115 West Chicago Avenue.
The new, state-of-the-art facility stands as a national model of Universal Design -- which reconceives fundamental architectural ideas and provides spaces that accommodate the broadest possible range of users. The building also will meet the needs of future users while having a limited impact on the environment, making it one of the first buildings to successfully combine Universal and Green Design.
Access Living's space is more than a new building. It is a testament to accessibility, sustainability and potential. A model of innovation, the elegant glass edifice facing Chicago Avenue welcomes everyone to pursue empowerment and independence.
While confronting the issues posed by inaccessible housing, transportation and public services may be a crucial step in achieving independence, a major component of breaking down physical barriers is changing the attitudinal barriers that built them in the first place. With an engaging array of cultural events, workshops, trainings and support groups, Access Living now focuses on instilling pride in the way people with disabilities view themselves and fosters dignity in the way others view the disability community. Access Living is also in an ongoing process of developing its ability to engage in intersectional work with a range of community partners.
