Guest Blogger

No Boundaries Visits the Visual Comfort Group Warehouse

04/22/19 - Disability Employment and Housing, Guest Blogger, Inspiring People, JJ's List Fun, No Boundaries, No Boundaries, Search, Inc., Social Enterprise, Uncategorized, Uncategorized - 0 Comments

No Boundaries Participants Matt R and Abby S with Visual Comfort President Joe Higgins

Our No Boundaries team visited and toured the Visual Comfort Group Warehouse in Skokie in February. The Warehouse Manager, Scott Christman, gave us a tour of their warehouse and the President, Joe…

Ask Adrian: All About Travel

04/01/19 - Accessibility in Public, Ask Adrian, Down Syndrome, Guest Blogger, Inspiring People, JJ's List Fun, No Boundaries, Self-Advocacy, Transportation - 0 Comments

Welcome back to another installment of “Ask Adrian Anything.” This is intended to give our readers an opportunity to communicate directly with one of our No Boundaries participants, Adrian, about his experiences in the workplace, living independently and out in the community. Recently people asked…

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…

7 Tips To Help You Be A Smart Shopper

02/18/19 - Disability-Aware Businesses, Disability-Aware Service, Guest Blogger, Inspiring People, JJ's List Fun, Search, Inc., Self-Advocacy, Tools and aids - 0 Comments

Grocery shopping can be a challenge for anyone. There are many temptations in stores that make it easy to spend over your budget. Search Inc.’s Ignite participants have been working on building skills needed for greater independence, including how to be a smart shopper.

Here…

Devaluing Hindsight as a Parent of a Child with a Disability

02/06/19 - Education, Good Web Finds, Guest Blogger, Inspiring People, Mentorship, Refrigerator Mothers, Self-Advocacy - 0 Comments

By Barb Cohen, Guest Blogger

Photo Courtesy of 123rf.com

What If The Lesson to Learn Is That There Is No Lesson?

Hindsight in parenting rarely accounts for the complexity of the moment.

Suppose your child received feedback on her first assignment in college and called to say, “It turns out I…

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…

Q&A with Joe T

01/09/19 - Disability Employment and Housing, Disability-Aware Businesses, Disability-Aware Service, Guest Blogger, Inspiring People, No Boundaries, No Boundaries, Search, Inc., Self-Advocacy - 0 Comments

Joe Torricelli

Joe originally found Search through our No Boundaries program and then connected with our Career Services team. In October 2018, we were able to help him secure his new full-time job as a Pastry Assistant at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines!

We sat down for a short Q&A…

Ride Public Transportation with Confidence (Part 2)

12/17/18 - Accessibility in Public, Disability-Aware Service, Education, Guest Blogger, Hop on the Bus to Independence, Pace Bus, Tools and aids, Transportation, Wheelchair Users - 0 Comments

By Ed Madden, Coordinator for Public Outreach for Pace Suburban Bus

In my last blog, I talked about JJ’s List and Pace Bus’ “Hop on the Bus to Independence” workshop and how it helps build your confidence in riding public transit. To expand on this, I…

Ask Adrian Anything … About the Holidays, Voting and More!

12/13/18 - Ask Adrian, Guest Blogger, Inspiring People, JJ's List Fun, No Boundaries, Self-Advocacy - 3 Comments

Welcome back to another installment of “Ask Adrian Anything.” This is intended to give our readers an opportunity to communicate directly with one of our No Boundaries participants, Adrian, about his experiences in the workplace, living independently and out in the community. This past month people asked asked about Adrian’s…

Conquering a Fear and Landing on Both Feet

12/05/18 - Guest Blogger, Inspiring People, jjslist.com, Self-Advocacy, Tools and aids - 1 Comment

By Sarah Armour, jjslist.com Business Assistant and Self-Advocate

Willis Tower

On October 12th, I had a business meeting at the Willis Tower in Chicago, IL. This made me very anxious because I have panic disorder. This means taking elevators, trains, buses, airplanes, and being anywhere else I…