Elisha's Cove

06/11/2026

Naperville Park District: Special Needs Swim Night

Sundays, 6/14, 6/28, 7/19, 6:30-8pm
Centennial Beach, 500 Jackson Ave., Naperville
No registration required. Cost is $5 per person at the door or patrons may use their Beach membership.

Families with individuals who have special needs are invited to enjoy a quiet, relaxing evening after regular operating hours of the Beach. The shallow end and slide will be open.

For more details, call Centennial beach at 630-848-5092.

05/28/2026

📣 Call for Proposals!

Help us empower families, elevate student voice, and strengthen special education partnerships across Illinois!

📣 Call for Proposals!

Family Matters PTIC is seeking presenters for our 3rd Annual FMPTIC Virtual Special Education Parent Summit, happening October 20–22, 2026.

We are looking for engaging sessions on special education, secondary transition, family engagement, conflict resolution, behavioral and mental health supports, IDEA protections, student voice, advocacy, and Spanish-language special education topics.

Summit Focus Days:
📘 October 20: Special Education
🎓 October 21: Secondary Transition
🌎 October 22: Special Education — Spanish

Parents, self-advocates, educators, advocates, service providers, community partners, and professionals are encouraged to submit proposals.

🗓 Proposal Deadline: Friday, June 26, 2026

Submit your proposal here:
https://forms.gle/my7NczTzBPcKSLkAA

Help us empower families, elevate student voice, and strengthen special education partnerships across Illinois!

05/22/2026

Thank you to everyone who helped make yesterday’s HB5605 Subject Matter Hearing a success.

The hearing before the House Human Services Committee was a very important step forward for Community Supported Living. Families, advocates, providers, and supporters came together to present a strong and coordinated message about the need for a clearly defined 24-hour community-based support option for individuals with the most complex needs.

The testimony highlighted several key themes:
• Current services are often fragmented and difficult to coordinate for people with intense medical, behavioral, or physical support needs.
• Families are carrying enormous responsibility, often filling gaps in the system themselves.
• HB5605 is intended to create greater structure, accountability, continuity, and true community-based living options within the existing waiver system.
• The bill is not about replacing existing services or forcing anyone to move. It is about creating an additional option for individuals whose needs are not fully supported today.

Committee members from both parties were highly engaged throughout the hearing. Many of the questions focused on DHS and the current system’s limitations, which helped further elevate the conversation around the need for long-term system improvements and sustainable community-based supports.

Several legislators expressed interest in the challenges families are facing, the lack of stable options for people with complex needs, and the importance of building supports that work in real life — not just on paper.

Most importantly, the hearing demonstrated that our message is being heard. The stories, testimony, and lived experiences shared yesterday made a real impact.

Please continue reaching out to your legislators and requesting meetings whenever possible. Even short conversations help build awareness so that if HB5605 comes up during session discussions or conversations with colleagues, legislators already understand the purpose of the bill, the gap it is addressing, and why Community Supported Living matters to families across Illinois.

05/08/2026

04/01/2026

More information:

Just ahead of Autism Awareness Month, a skating rink in St. Charles is introducing a new mission centered on inclusion.

03/24/2026

Join us Illinois!

🚨 Take Action: Witness Slip Needed

Support HB5605 – Community Supported Living Act

We Need Your Help, Illinois!

Community Supported Living with 24-hour support is a federal Medicaid option available in most states—but not in Illinois.

Currently, the Illinois Adults with Developmental Disabilities Waiver does not include a defined 24-hour community supported living service for adults whose needs require continuous, coordinated supports in a home or community-based setting.

As a result, individuals with complex support needs are left without a workable community-based option, increasing the likelihood of institutional or other out-of-home placement away from their families and communities.

There is a solution.

HB5605 — the Community Supported Living Services Act — creates a pathway for Community Supported Living–24 Hour (CSL-24), supporting individuals to receive 24-hour services in a home of their choosing, with provider choice and supports guided by the person-centered planning process.

📝 Take Action Now — File a Witness Slip by Wednesday, March 25

This is one of the most important ways to show your support right now.

Every witness slip counts—and directly shapes how legislators view public support for this bill. Without strong support in committee, a bill may not advance this session.

👉 Witness Slip for HB5605: https://witnessslips.ilga.gov/House/Hearings/details/3061/22636/CreateWitnessSlip/?legislationId=167658&GaId=18&View=Create

How to complete it:
• Representation: Self, Parent, Family Member, Advocate, Ally, Friend
• Select “Original Bill”
• Position: Proponent (if you agree)
• Testimony: Record of Appearance Only
• Submit

HB5605 helps close a critical gap in Illinois, supports community living, and promotes more effective use of long-term system resources.

📣 Please share this message widely—every voice matters.

Contact us at: [email protected] or
visit: www.SupportTheComplex.org

03/21/2026

Being part of the change in Illinois! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D8UqfbUhW/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🚨 Take Action: Witness Slip Needed

Support HB5605 – Community Supported Living Act

We Need Your Help, Illinois!

Community Supported Living with 24-hour support is a federal Medicaid option available in most states—but not in Illinois.

Currently, the Illinois Adults with Developmental Disabilities Waiver does not include a defined 24-hour community supported living service for adults whose needs require continuous, coordinated supports in a home or community-based setting.

As a result, individuals with complex support needs are left without a workable community-based option, increasing the likelihood of institutional or other out-of-home placement away from their families and communities.

There is a solution.

HB5605 — the Community Supported Living Services Act — creates a pathway for Community Supported Living–24 Hour (CSL-24), supporting individuals to receive 24-hour services in a home of their choosing, with provider choice and supports guided by the person-centered planning process.

📝 Take Action Now — File a Witness Slip by Wednesday, March 25

This is one of the most important ways to show your support right now.

Every witness slip counts—and directly shapes how legislators view public support for this bill. Without strong support in committee, a bill may not advance this session.

👉 Witness Slip for HB5605: https://witnessslips.ilga.gov/House/Hearings/details/3061/22636/CreateWitnessSlip/?legislationId=167658&GaId=18&View=Create

How to complete it:
• Representation: Self, Parent, Family Member, Advocate, Ally, Friend
• Select “Original Bill”
• Position: Proponent (if you agree)
• Testimony: Record of Appearance Only
• Submit

HB5605 helps close a critical gap in Illinois, supports community living, and promotes more effective use of long-term system resources.

📣 Please share this message widely—every voice matters.

Contact us at: [email protected] or
visit: www.SupportTheComplex.org

02/18/2026

Join us for the Third Annual Touch-A-Truck hosted by the Belleville Police Department!

🗓 Saturday, April 25, 2026
⏰ 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
🔇 Quiet Hour: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
📍 2300 West Main Street, Belleville, Illinois

This FREE community event will feature police vehicles, fire trucks, construction equipment, and more. The Belleville Fire Department will be there with our apparatus and crew ready to meet you!

Enjoy food, games, prizes, and hands-on fun for the whole family. We hope to see you there!

02/14/2026

✨ Advocates of the Roundtable – We Are Black History ✨

Join us for a powerful virtual conversation celebrating Black History Month and disability — centering the voices, leadership, and lived experiences of Black people with disabilities and community leaders.

🖤 Theme: We Are Black History
📅 Date: February 26
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM (ET)
💻 Location: Virtual (Zoom)

This event will be co-facilitated by Golda Duncan and Richard Potter and will feature meaningful discussion and storytelling from leaders in our community.

🎨 Phoenix will share how she uses her artwork to express all of her identities.

Because our stories, leadership, and lived experiences matter — we are Black history, past, present, and future.

👉 Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/GlXfUMsaTwa8q24Kxu0DHg #/registration