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The JJs List Blog

Growing Up With “Boot,” A Sister Just Like Any Other

Joe Luzadder with his younger siblings, Jack and “Boot”

By Joe Luzadder, Guest Blogger and Sibling

To me, growing up with a little sister with Down syndrome was a blessing. It was also typical, however, because I did not know what it was like to grow up…

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What Inclusion Means to Us

To mark National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM), JJ’s List joined Down Syndrome International’s inclusion campaign, a global conversation to empower people around the world to advocate for the full inclusion of all people with disabilities in their communities.

Courtesy of Down Syndrome International

We asked several…

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Embracing Disability in the Workplace: Tips to Make Your Workplace Disability-Inclusive

By Diane Royanto, Guest Blogger

Did you know that more than one billion people live with some form of disability? That’s a lot of potential employees! Unfortunately, many businesses have yet to embrace disability inclusion in their workplace. This is despite the fact that doing so…

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Two Visibility Artists Showing in the Visible Invisible Art Exhibition in Evanston

Evanston community leaders, Indira Freitas Johnson, Fran Joy, and Lisa Degliantoni, are curating Visibly Invisible, an art exhibition that highlights the violence that many in our community deal with on a day-to-day basis. The exhibit runs from February 4th to March 14th at Evanston’s Noyes…

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A Reflection on NDEAM: Working lets me…

National Disability Awareness Month (NDEAM) is held every October to celebrate the important contributions that people with disabilities have made to workplaces and to the economy in general. This year, NDEAM’s theme is “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” We are proud that so many of…

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Losing Season, Winning Team

By Tricia Luzadder, Manager, JJ’s List

Anna at the gate at Gallagher Way

Like many, if not most, Chicago Cubs fans, I was disappointed with the way the 2021 season went for the Northsiders. However, as a disability advocate and parent of a young woman with Down…

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Finding My Purpose

By Ashley Alcantar, Guest Blogger

I thought I was going to be at a completely different stage in my life career-wise than where I am presently, and it is frustrating. It is frustrating because I’m having a “mid-life” crisis at the age of 24 and it’s…

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10 Tips for Respecting People with Disabilities

By Ignite, Evanston

Graphic created by Ignite Participants

July is Disability Pride Month, a time for people with disabilities to celebrate who they are. It is also a time for others to learn how to become better neighbors, colleagues, friends, and acquaintances with people with disabilities whom…

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Your Story is Your Legacy: The Intersection of Disabled and Queer Identity

By: Melanie Ausbrook, Adult Learning Program Manager, Search Inc

Both neurodiversity and queerness/sexual identity are often viewed as spectrums. The Kinsey Scale places sexual identity on a continuum with no person being totally ‘straight’ or ‘gay.’ Similarly, autism is defined as a spectrum disorder with no…

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Disability Lead – Inspiring People with Disabilities and Building Leaders

By Brian Rohde, Guest Blogger

Recently, Disability Lead, formerly ADA 25 Advancing Leadership, hosted another webinar in their Power Series highlighting leaders in the community who have disabilities. In this series, Disability Lead hosted Actor and Comedian, Maysoon Ziyad. Maysoon Ziyad told her story about how…

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