Resource Directory /

Accessibility Resources

  • Cherished Creations

    Cherished Creations grants two types of “wishes” to help children who are seriously ill or have disabilities (up to 21 years old). “Dreams Wishes” provide help with trips, attending special events or buying gifts to better a child’s life within the lower 48 states. “Support Wishes” fulfill practical needs such as ramps, medical equipment not covered by insurance and other needs, especially for children who might not be able to live at home otherwise.

    You can find Cherished Creations eligibility rules and applications on its website.

    For other questions, please email Bianca Kovalcik at bkovalcik@cherishedcreations.com or call (908) 790-0616.

  • Chicago Adaptive Sports

    Chicago Adaptive Sports provides programming, support and advocacy for individuals with physical and visual disabilities of all ages and backgrounds. The organization adapts programming to meet the needs of individuals who use manual or power wheelchairs or have other ambulatory disabilities such as amputation, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, stroke and other spinal cord or orthopedic impairments. No prior experience is necessary to participate. Financial assistance is available. Participants will not be turned away due to their ability to pay.

    Chicago Adaptive Sports programs include:

  • Chicago Hearing Society

    The Chicago Hearing Society (CHS) provides a wide range of programs to support families and connect people who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing. Its services include:

    For more information, call CHS:

    • Main Number: (773) 248-9121
    • Videophone: (773) 904-0154

  • Chicagoland Funding Sources for Stairlifts, Ramps and Other Home Accessibility Solutions

    Lifeway Mobility offers a comprehensive list of various accessibility funding sources in Chicagoland, northwest Indiana and southeast Wisconsin. The guide provides information on organizations and other resources that may be able to help you pay for a stair lift, ramp or other accessibility solution.

    You must contact the individual organizations directly for specific details. Please use the information provided to contact the organization/option listed.

  • Chive Charities

    Chive Charities is a non-profit providing grants to support underserved veterans, military families, first responders and people with rare medical diagnoses. Chive Charities shares grant recipients’ stories to educate, advocate and inspire others to help provide a weekly grant to individuals with life-altering or life-threatening needs.

    Chive Charities grant items must either improve quality of life or be medically-related and not fully covered by insurance. Past grants have included:

    • Therapy equipment, such as adaptive tricycles and robotic walkers
    • Service dogs
    • Wheelchair-accessible vans
    • Mobility items

  • Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

    The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis. The website includes:

    You can contact the Reeve Foundation at (800) 225-0292

  • City of Peoria Ramp and Housing Assistance Programs

    The City of Peoria provides a variety of housing programs to help community members fix their properties, stay in their homes for longer and buy a home. Programs are available to help with:

    • Emergency replacement of broken water heaters and furnaces
    • Housing rehabilitation
    • Ramp and roof programs for eligible homeowners
    • Utility assistance program
    • Down payment assistance

    For questions about any of the programs, please call the City of Peoria at (309) 494-2273.

  • Communication Wallet Card

    The Secretary of State’s Office offers an Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) Communication Wallet Card to help notify law enforcement that a person may have difficulty communicating. Applicants may request the wallet card at any Illinois Secretary of State Driver’s License Facility.

    The wallet card is available to notify law enforcement in advance that a person may require alternative methods of communication in order to respond to and communicate with an officer.

    For more details, contact the Secretary of State’s Office at (800) 252-8980.

  • CommunicationFIRST

    CommunicationFIRST advocates to ensure everyone has the support they need to express themselves effectively and be heard. Organization members include people of all ages with over two dozen known and unknown expressive communication-related conditions, congenital and developmental disabilities, and conditions acquired later in life. CommunicationFIRST resources include:

    • “The Words We Use” style guide
    • Tips for online meetings with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users, by AAC users
    • The “See us. Hear us.” film series
    • The AAC Counts Project

  • Create Your Own Communication Card for People With Hearing Losssun-icon

    The Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission (IDHHC) provides a template to create a personalized Communication Card for people with hearing loss. The card helps others understand your communication needs and lists your preferred communication provider’s name and contact information. To create a personalized Communication Card, visit the “Create my own Communication Card” page on IDHHC’s website.

    For more information, contact the IDHHC: