Disabilities

The website for McLean County Government just got a lot easier to use for people with disabilities. County board chair Elizabeth Johnston said a new module can read PDF documents aloud, and even interpret technical drawings like plans to change the design of an intersection.

Organizations seeking to create community living arrangements for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities say local zoning laws in Illinois are "discriminatory" and are pushing for legislation to protect the federal rights of those residents.

Federal service cuts, tight state budgets, and AI technology all threaten human services, according to members of a new coalition organizing in Bloomington-Normal as part of the statewide group Alliance for Community Services.

New research showed public schools across the country intentionally evade federal reporting requirements by calling seclusion rooms something else. Students with disabilities, he found, were four times more likely to be restrained or secluded.

Stevenson Elementary School in Bloomington has a high percentage of students in need of better accommodations to be able to use playground facilities.

Heartland Community College will partner with Normal's Parks and Recreation Department to operate Miracle League Field, a recreational venue for children and adults with disabilities.

Karl Kopp will be the nonprofit's new chief executive at a critical moment in the agency's 70-year history.

Kim Tarkowski has worked for 27 years as a vision access advocate at the Bloomington-based LIFE Center for Independent Living. She is retiring this week and reflected on her career during an interview with WGLT.

A former dispatch supervisor claims she was fired and discriminated against for a medical disability resulting from pregnancy.

Life CIL is hosting a lunch-and-learn with the McLean County League of Women Voters at noon Friday to discuss disability rights at the ballot box.