Rockford Resources
Lake County Center for Independent Living
Lake County Center for Independent Living (LCCIL) is a non-residential, cross-disability organization governed and staffed by a majority of people with disabilities. The center advocates for a fully accessible society that is inclusive of everyone. LCCIL serves Lake and McHenry counties.
LCCIL offers transition services to adults who want to live independently in their homes in the community and youth who seek a fully productive, independent life as they transition into adulthood. Programs include community transition services, pre-employment transition services and youth transition services.
Project Mobility is a nonprofit organization that offers recreational events using specialized bicycles for people with disabilities. Its professional staff works with families, rehabilitative professionals and organizations to promote better health, independence, and most of all the freedom of mobility for people with physical disabilities.
Project Mobility also does an Adaptive Bike Giveaway.
Parent Guide to Special Education
“A Parent’s Guide – Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois” is a guide for parents, teachers, administrators and others to learn about the educational rights of children who receive special education and related services due to disabilities that affect their ability to achieve academically.
Special education laws and procedures are complicated and can be difficult to understand. This guide from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) will clarify some of the procedures of special education. It contains information about many of the most common topics related to the broad special education landscape, from identification and evaluation to transition planning and complaint procedures.
Review individual topics and chapters or download a complete copy of “A Parent’s Guide – Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois” on ISBE’s website.
COVID-19 Preparedness Tool for Families and Caregivers
The Stanford Health Literacy Lab in collaboration with families and providers developed the COVID-19 Preparedness Tool for Families and Caregivers to help families of children with special healthcare needs with rpreparing for and responding to COVID-19 in a variety of settings.
The user-friendly tool, also available in Spanish, provides tips for home, healthcare settings, schools and work. It also offers advice for coping with family stress.
SNAP Online Purchasing Program
The Illinois Department of Human Services is offering online purchasing for more than 1.8 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) customers across a million households.
Online SNAP will give families easier access to food during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. Busy parents will no longer have to stress about how they can pick their kids up from school and make it to the grocery store before dinner. And those working multiple jobs or the late shift won’t have to rush to make it before the store closes. All families will have another option to independently secure the food they need.
Benefits.gov is an online resource to help you find federal benefits you may be eligible for in the United States. The Benefit Finder questionnaire can help you find benefits you may be eligible to receive – such as healthcare and medical assistance, financial assistance, loans and disaster relief – and direct you to the agency to apply.
The ADA National Network provides information, guidance and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The ADA National Network Disability Law Handbook
This handbook is meant to provide basic information about disability rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as resources for finding out more.
Youth and Family Center of McHenry County
The Youth and Family Center of McHenry County (YFC) is dedicated to helping people help themselves through a variety of programs and services. YFC can help families with registering for child care and food assistance, understanding and translating documents, and finding financial, mental health and employment services. YFC also provides after-school and summer programming, adult education and engagement programs, bi-cultural navigation services, a community garden, English classes and more.
You can review the center’s flyer, provided in Spanish and English, for more information.
You can schedule an appointment online or call the main office in McHenry at (815) 322-2357. Please provide a full name and phone number to receive a callback.
The Arc’s Disability Voter Guide
The Arc has developed voting resources in plain language and Spanish, including a disability voter guide and sample questions for candidates.

