IMPACT CIL

10/14/2026

IDHS is hiring a Staff Interpreter at the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville.

Join the IDHS Division of Rehabilitation Services and help ensure accessible communication for students, families, staff, and community partners. This role provides sign language interpreting for student meetings, school events, workshops, and other activities.

📍 Jacksonville, Illinois
💼 Full-time, fully in-office
💲 Anticipated salary: $66,864–$94,776 annually

Applicants must have a high school education or equivalent, a valid Illinois interpreter license at the Advanced Proficiency level or above, and at least one year of experience in disabilities or behavioral health.

📅 Apply by October 21, 2026.

Learn more and apply: https://illinois.jobs2web.com/job/Jacksonville-STAFF-INTERPRETER-IL-62650/1435583900/

10/14/2026

😁

Governor Pritzker has proclaimed October 2026 Assistive Technology Month in Illinois. He encourages all residents to learn how assistive technologies support the health, independence, and happiness of our friends, neighbors, family members, and co-workers with disabilities. IATP is excited to have Speaker of the House Emanuel Welch here on Monday, October 26th, to read the proclamation at the start of our Open House and Resource Fair at 9 a.m.

To read the full proclamation, visit https://iltech.org/.

For more information on the Open House and Resource Fair, visit https://iltech.org/event/iatp-open-house-resource-fair/

10/04/2026

Congratulations to Tiffany Breden on 20 Years of Dedicated Service with IMPACT CIL! Thank you for your commitment and the positive difference you make!

10/03/2026

October is World Blindness Awareness Month! This is a time to raise awareness about the challenges faced by individuals with blindness as well as their achievements.

During this time, you can celebrate the achievements of people with visual impairments and highlight advocacy efforts to improve accessibility.

Learn about resources at iMPACT CIL.

Image description: October is Blindness Awareness Month with a young man sitting holding a white cane.

10/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DtyjndCq1/?mibextid=wwXIfr

For a decade, wheelchair users on Medicare who wanted a titanium or carbon fiber frame have had to cover the entire cost themselves.

That's changing. On Sept. 30, the Senate passed the Choices for Increased Mobility Act (H.R. 1703). It cleared the House in July, and now it heads to the president's desk.

Once it becomes law, Medicare must create separate billing codes for carbon fiber and titanium frames by Jan. 1, 2028, so you pay only the difference for an ultralight frame. It costs taxpayers nothing.

This happened because of you. Advocates carried this bill into congressional offices at Roll on Capitol Hill, then kept the pressure on with messages to their senators.

Thank you to Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., for leading the way.

We'll keep you posted as the bill is signed and as Medicare builds the new codes. Follow along for updates. And in the meantime, join our Grassroots Advocacy Network to continue the momentum: https://unitedspinal.org/grassroots-advocacy-network/

09/29/2026

Another successful “See Like Me” resource fair at the St. Louis Zoo. keep an eye out for next year‘s event and join us there!

09/29/2026

We had such a fun Resource & Wellness Day Fair at Lewis & Clark Community College’s The Commons!

And yes… there they had GOAT YOGA! 🐐😂💚
Nothing like a little goat therapy to make wellness even more fun!

09/28/2026

Imagine you can't get out of your own front door.
Not because you're sick. Not because you're in a hospital. Just because there's no ramp, and nobody's built one yet.
That's the barrier a Center for Independent Living exists to remove — sometimes literally.
A CIL isn't a typical nonprofit. It doesn't serve people with disabilities. It's run by them. Federal law requires that at least 51% of staff and board members have disabilities themselves. The philosophy is simple and radical at the same time: people with disabilities are the best experts on their own needs. So they're the ones in charge.
IMPACT CIL in Alton has operated that way for over 40 years. Under the leadership of Cathy Contarino, they serve six Illinois counties — Madison, Macoupin, Jersey, Bond, Greene, and Calhoun — with everything from peer support to home modifications. Their ramp program, coordinated by Independent Living Specialist Tammy Conreux, provides exterior ramps, doorway expansions, and bathroom adaptations at no cost to qualifying homeowners and renters.
No cost. Because the point is independence. Not ability to pay.
IMPACT is one of several Centers for Independent Living AgeSmart is proud to work alongside across our region. They represent exactly what this network is supposed to do — make it possible for people to live where they choose, on their own terms.
Learn more at impactcil.org.

09/28/2026

IMPACT CIL is one of the participating vendors at Lewis & Clark Community College - The Commons - a Resource & Wellness Fair event tomorrow. Come and swing by! Time: 10 AM - 2 PM.

09/24/2026

The Disability Rights Movement lost a great advocate. Thank you Jim for all of your efforts in advocating for CILs and assuring equal access for all! We will miss you!

Link :
https://www.riverbender.com/obits/details/james-de-jong-fairview-heights-obituary-32996.cfm

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