Join Going Home Coalition on June 26th at 3:00 pm CDT

for Jennifer Knapp’s presentation on Supported Living. 

Email admin@thearcofil.org for the meeting link.  

We are deeply grateful for the funding from The Coleman Foundation and The Grassroots Project. This support will empower the Going Home Coalition to continue vital conversations on housing, legislative advocacy, and storytelling. 

The presentation will focus on opportunities for independence through a service model called Supported Living.  Many states across the country are using Supported Living to offer one-on-one support to adults with DD who live in their own apartment. The presenter will share the experience of Community Vision, a disability provider in Portland, Oregon, who supports people with significant disabilities to live on their own. 

Jennifer Knapp has 20 years of experience in the disability service field. She is currently the Executive Director at Community Vision, a disability provider agency in Portland, Oregon that is an industry leader in offering individualized in-home support, affordable housing, assistive technology, and employment services. In her role, she engages in state-wide advocacy and local community partnerships to support the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of life. Jennifer has worked for Community Vision since 2016. 

Prior to moving to Oregon, Jennifer served as founder and Executive Director of Community Choices, a cooperative in Illinois offering innovative services to support people with disabilities live on their own. She also consulted with family groups to create housing options and brought advocates together to shift the disability system from institutional models to community services. She started her career in community organizing, co-developing the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois, which brought people with disabilities together to shift from institutions to community services in Illinois. Jennifer received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Illinois in Communication. 

Your Advocacy Matters! 

Shown Here Left to Right: Kim Johnson, Carole Rosen, Da Wen Mei, Rosalie Der, Li Ping Mei

REV UP Illinois’ Da Wen Mei and Carole Rosen presented at The Arc of Illinois Leadership Conference on June 14th.  REV UP stands for Register, Educate, Vote, and Use Your Power! 

REV UP Illinois’ mission is to build the power of the disability vote through increasing civic engagement in the disability community and improving the accessibility of elections. The nonpartisan coalition, comprised of individuals and organizations will offer participants opportunities to engage in presentations on voter education and registration, voter registration events, polling place accessibility audits, dissemination of accessible voting information, and other grassroots initiatives to empower the disability vote. 

Email admin@thearcofil.org to join our kickoff meeting in early July!  

REV UP Illinois will be at The Chicago Abilities Expo in Schaumberg June 21st through June 23rd and the Community Transition Fair at Mabley Developmental Center on June 22nd.