Equip For Equality

01/05/2026

We’re starting the year with grit and gratitude. Because of you, we met our year-end goals and are ready to advance access, dignity, and justice for people with disabilities across Illinois in 2026.

THANK YOU.

01/03/2026

Start the year off right by contacting attorneys at www.newleafillinois.org so they can help you clear your record.

12/31/2025

FINAL 12 HOURS

Your gift is still TRIPLED — but only for the next 12 hours.

If you’ve been waiting to give, this is the moment. Here are the 12 most powerful ways your matched gift makes a real, immediate difference:

1. Protects people with disabilities from abuse, neglect, and exploitation — including financial exploitation and misuse of representative payee funds
2. Ensures accountability when police and other systems cause harm — advancing civil rights, safety, and justice
3. Defends the rights of people with disabilities in jails, prisons, and the criminal legal system — securing treatment, accommodations, and humane conditions
4. Keeps people out of institutions and in their communities — where they belong
5. Ensures access to mental health care and community-based services when systems fail
6. Protects students denied special education services and assistive technology — in classrooms and beyond
7. Fights for fair treatment in employment, higher education, and the community
8. Stops people from falling through the cracks during transitions and crises — when systems disengage or funding lapses
9. Holds state agencies and service systems accountable through oversight, monitoring, and enforcement
10. Supports people navigating guardianship — and those working to reclaim their rights
11. Protects voting access for disabled voters and defends democracy
12. Trains advocates and attorneys statewide to multiply impact across Illinois

For the next 12 hours, every dollar you give goes 3x as far — helping Equip for Equality meet rising need and enter the new year ready, come what may.

Give now before the match expires: https://efe.app.neoncrm.com/campaigns/40th-anniversary-celebration-launch

12/29/2025

Starting today at 3:00 PM CT and running through midnight on New Year’s Eve, your donation can go three times as far!

Thanks to a generous board member, every $1 you give will turn into $3 to support advocacy for disability rights in Illinois. Join us in this final stretch of the year and help us amplify the impact of every gift!

Give at: https://efe.app.neoncrm.com/campaigns/40th-anniversary-celebration-launch

12/23/2025

We are closed for intake until the new year. You can leave us a message at 312-341-0022 or complete our online intake form at https://www.equipforequality.org/get-legal-help-from-efe/.

12/23/2025

If you have a cannabis conviction on your record, give yourself the gift of a clean slate this holiday season. Our friends at www.newleafillinois.org can help.

12/20/2025

Our friends at New Leaf Illinois can help you clear your old cannabis record and other eligible records so you can move forward in life. They're a State of Illinois funded network of legal aid & community organizations ready to help. Contact them today – 872-NEW-LEAF or visit newleafillinois.org.

12/10/2025

For our final Disability Rights Consortium session of the year, Equip for Equality is proud to welcome Glenda Love and Tiffany Askew from the Illinois Department on Aging’s Ombudsman Program.

Together, Glenda and Tiffany will provide an overview of the advocacy services offered by both the Home Care Ombudsman and Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs. They will discuss the scope of services, common issues they address, outcomes they have achieved, and guidance on how and when to refer individuals for support.

The session will be held via Zoom Webinar on Wednesday, December 17, from 9:30–11:00 a.m. CT. It is appropriate for both legal and non-legal advocates, and all are welcome to attend.

Reserve your spot:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jflZZlDCT8GoaTBm24_ODQ

Real-time captions (CART) and ASL interpretation will be provided. Illinois attorneys who attend live are eligible to receive 1.5 CLE credits.

We hope you will join us for this important and informative session!

12/09/2025

Some of our most important work cannot be funded through state or federal grants due to rules around how those funds can be used.

That’s why unrestricted gifts from supporters like YOU are so important. They allow us to:
• Advocate for legislative or systemic changes
• Represent people when other funding streams won’t cover it
• Respond quickly to dangerous situations

Your unrestricted gift expands what’s possible.

Help ensure EFE can respond wherever we’re needed — donate today.

✳️ https://efe.app.neoncrm.com/campaigns/40th-anniversary-celebration-launch

Invite two people to give any amount today and help widen our circle of support.

12/08/2025

If you get SSI, you might need a proof of income letter (also called a benefit verification letter) when you apply for things like loans, housing help, or anything else that asks you to show your income.

The Social Security Administration just released a short video that explains how to get this letter. We encourage you to check it out!

You can also 𝗚𝗼 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹. If you create a personal 𝗺𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 account, you can quickly view, print, or download a PDF of your proof of income letter anytime. This works even if you need to show that you do not receive benefits.

Do you know how to get an income verification letter or benefit verification letter from Social Security? Just log in to my Social Security to get instant ac...

12/04/2025

Join Equip for Equality's Peter Eatherton along with our partners at StartEarly and Illinois Families for Early Intervention, Inc. for a virtual session focused on families' rights in Illinois’ Early Intervention (EI) system.

Register at: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/JC5_DfDqQkG2ebqFipabHg #/registration

12/03/2025

Because of you, we met our Giving Tuesday goal — and unlocked a generous match to support Equip for Equality’s work across Illinois.

Thanks to the 40+ supporters who made a gift of $40 or more, and the many others who gave at every level, shared our posts, left comments, and helped amplify our message, we unlocked our match and continued momentum toward our year-end $40,000 fundraising goal.

Your generosity fuels the work that fills the gaps across systems — in schools, nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, correctional settings, and large institutions. It allows us to investigate, advocate, and press for meaningful change when people with disabilities are at risk.

From restoring education for youth in custody, to improving safety in nursing homes, to exposing dangerous hospital practices, to advancing community living — your support makes this impact possible.

Today, we simply want to say:

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆.
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆.

We are deeply grateful.