Employment First Act

Two Jobs and a Full Life: A Q&A with Matt

10/18/19 - Disability Employment and Housing, Disability in the Media, Disability-Aware Businesses, Disability-Aware Service, Down Syndrome, Employment First Act, Good Web Finds, Guest Blogger, Inspiring People, JJ's List Fun, jjslist.com, No Boundaries, Search, Inc., Self-Advocacy, Transportation - 6 Comments

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). In honor of NDEAM, we wanted to highlight the success of Matthew LaChapelle, a former No Boundaries participant. Matthew has had success with employment and is a great example of what someone with a disability can do. …

PAC Makes a Difference in the Lives of People with Disabilities

07/30/19 - Disability Employment and Housing, Disability-Aware Businesses, Disability-Aware Service, Employment First Act, Inspiring People, Mentorship, Search, Inc., Social Enterprise - 0 Comments

We recently sat down for a Q&A with Jackie Alfirevic, Production Coordinator at Search, Inc. to find out more about Planet Access Company!

Jimmy D

Q: What is PAC?

Jackie: Planet Access Company (PAC), a social enterprise of Search, Inc, is a third party logistics warehouse and vocational…

ADA 25 Advancing Leadership – a Q&A with Fellow Molly Wiesman

07/12/19 - ADA, Business News, Disability Employment and Housing, Disability Law, Disability-Aware Service, Education, Employment First Act, Events, Guest Blogger, Inspiring People, jjslist.com, Mentorship, Self-Advocacy, Tools and aids, Veterans, Wheelchair Users - 1 Comment

Mentor Melissa Reishus and Molly Wiesman, 2019 Fellow

ADA 25 Advancing Leadership is the legacy project of ADA 25 Chicago, a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The mission of ADA 25 Advancing Leadership is to increase civic engagement and…

Q&A with Search’s Community Employment Team

05/24/19 - Disability Employment and Housing, Education, Employment First Act, Inspiring People, Mentorship, Search, Inc. - 0 Comments

At JJslist.com and No Boundaries, we interface with the Search Career Services team quite a bit. We love what they have done for many of our participants and wanted to share their story with our readers. Below is a Q&A with our small, but mighty,…

FAQs About Illinois ABLE Accounts

03/14/19 - ABLE - A Better Life for Everybody, Disability Employment and Housing, Disability-Aware Service, Education, Employment First Act, Guest Blogger, Tools and aids - 1 Comment

By JJ Hanley, Director, IL ABLE

Since the “Achieving a Better Life Experience” ABLE program launched in Illinois two years ago, people with disabilities have saved more than $4.5 million in their Illinois ABLE accounts for disability-related expenses.

With ABLE accounts, individuals with disabilities and their families…

Equal Access Online Tool Connects People With Disabilities To Jobs

01/18/19 - Business News, Disability Employment and Housing, Disability in the Media, Disability-Aware Businesses, Disability-Aware Service, Employment First Act, Guest Blogger, Inspiring People, Search, Inc., Social Enterprise, Tools and aids - 0 Comments

By Pat Maher, Director, Civic Engagement, SPR

Many great organizations, municipalities and companies have committed to improving work and career opportunities for people with disabilities…and yet? The objective truth is that from a participation and employment perspective we haven’t even nudged the needle since statistics have…

How Much Can You Work While Receiving Disability Benefits?

07/12/18 - ABLE - A Better Life for Everybody, Disability Employment and Housing, Disability Law, Disability-Aware Service, Employment First Act, Guest Blogger, Tools and aids - 6 Comments

By: Rachel Gaffney, Outreach Specialist, Disability Benefits Center

Did you realize that it’s still possible to work while receiving Social Security disability benefits? If you or someone you love would like to return to work, the Social Security Administration (SSA) makes it possible for people of…

Benefitting from ABLE

10/10/17 - ABLE - A Better Life for Everybody, Disability Employment and Housing, Disability Law, Disability-Aware Service, Employment First Act, Guest Blogger, Tools and aids - 1 Comment

Michael Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer, and Guest Blogger Bill Sitter

A Guest Blog by Bill Sitter

The ABLE Act, also known as the Achieving Better Life Experience Act, is probably the most important piece of legislation regarding people with disabilities since the Americans with Disabilities Act. ABLE…

Happy Birthday to ComEd Energy Force!

08/04/16 - Business News, Disability Awareness Players, Disability Awareness Training, Disability Employment and Housing, Disability-Aware Businesses, Disability-Aware Service, Employment First Act, No Boundaries, Search, Inc. - 2 Comments

Search, Inc., recently joined ComEd’s President and CEO, Anne Pramaggiore, along with many local and State leaders to celebrate the 5th Birthday of the ComEd Energy Force Program. Many of you already know that Illinois is now an “Employment First State.” That means that if you…

No Boundaries Creates Best Practice Model for ComEd Energy Force

06/29/16 - Accessibility in Public, Business News, Disability Employment and Housing, Disability-Aware Businesses, Disability-Aware Service, Employment First Act, No Boundaries, No Boundaries, Search, Inc. - 0 Comments

If you haven’t heard yet that Illinois is an Employment First State, then please allow us to be the first to tell you: If you are an adult with a developmental or intellectual disability in Illinois, then the first goal of any state-funded services you…