About the Lead On Blog

Marca Bristo with Yoshiko and Justin Dart

Access Living is committed to the advancement and empowerment of people with disabilities in Chicago and nationwide.  Our programs and services represent a multifaceted approach in attaining this goal.   From helping people to transition out of nursing homes into the community to seeking reasonable accommodations from landlords so that people with disabilities can increase the accessibility of their homes, Access Living has fought for people within the disability community for the past thirty years.  With over fifty employees, Access Living has positively impacted hundreds of people on an individual basis and thousands of people with disabilities through our policy work.  While Access Living’s website can provide you with the basic descriptions of our programs and our overarching principles and direction, the Lead On Blog offers an in-depth view of the specific work of our staff.  We hope that this forum can forge another connection to the disability community.  Feel free to comment on the various entries or to raise questions about a disability rights related issue.

The name of this blog is an acknowledgement of and salute to Justin Dart, Jr.   A key architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Justin Dart was a pioneer of the Disability Rights Movement.  He voiced his message of personal empowerment, civil rights, full inclusion, and equality for people with disabilities across the United States and around the world.  At the end of every speech, Dart would raise his fist and exclaim, “Colleagues, I love you . . . together we have overcome, together we shall overcome . . . Lead On!”