Accessible Cities Alliance - Promoting Disability compliance in the business community

Good access is good business. That's the motto of a group of disability advocates and civic leaders who have joined together to provide and promote equal access in and around the Joliet business community.

In an effort to increase access in businesses across the region, the Accessible Cities Alliance works with disabled consumers, the city of Joliet, Will County, the village of Bolingbrook and other area towns - as well as contractors, developers and business and property owners in removing barriers to access for persons with disabilities.

Sharing information on the buying power of disabled consumers is one important step to encouraging businesses to meet or exceed accessibility standards. One in five Americans is currently experiencing a disability (U.S. Census Bureau). National experts estimate that, by 2010, that ratio could increase to one in three. That's a lot of buying power.

A program of the Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living, the Accessible Cities Alliance is working to boost economic development and individual business success with this message, so that businesses can build their consumer base and disabled consumers can patronize those businesses.

Through its ongoing efforts, the alliance serves as the information liaison for disabled consumers and the businesses that offer full access to them. The key goal is to maintain a network of national, regional and local resources, from the Great Lakes ADA to the Contractors Association and its Three Rivers Construction Alliance, financing opportunities, recommendations on access improvements, from which businesses, developers and property owners can learn all they need to know to remove
barriers to access and enhance their customer base.

An unprecedented local initiative, the Accessible Cities Alliance is composed of a group of core advisors, representing people with disabilities, local government leaders and staff, chambers of commerce, business owners, contractors, health care, academia, media, social service and the financial services industry.

These individuals meet quarterly with the alliance leadership to develop and implement strategies for educational outreach, workshops, Web site (www.ada411.com), media relations, social service networking, resource development, partner collaboration, and promotion of the Accessible Business Directory.

The alliance is pleased to have the cooperation of several local financial institutions - First Midwest, Founders and NuMark Credit Union - who offer reduced rates on loans acquired by businesses for the purposes of increasing accessibility. Ongoing collaboration among banks, businesses, economic development leaders and municipal leaders is vital to helping the alliance achieve its broad-based goals.

In working with this wide range of partnerships, the alliance has been instrumental in increasing and promoting greater access in businesses around the Joliet region. Working in concert with disability advocate Will County Executive Larry Walsh and his Disability Advisory Panel, alliance advisors continue to expand their reach to towns throughout the county. Walsh and key staff have participated in alliance workshops and ongoing efforts to develop relationships with area towns and their
building departments, so as to enhance access and promote economic development.

In July, the Will County executive received the alliance's "Ambassador of the Year" award for leadership and promotion of increased access.

Walsh was instrumental in coordinating access improvements in nine Will County buildings. In accepting the award, Walsh gave credit to the staff who worked diligently on these efforts, including Frank Burkey, Mike Migliorini, Nick Palmer and Sandy Simmons; R. Berti and Sons Contractors and the team of subcontractors responsible for the impressive access features were commended for the comprehensive renovations.

The Accessible Cities Alliance participated in research conducted by the Government Accountability Office in identifying regions that showcase exemplary partnerships between private, public and government entities.

Efforts to develop accessibility ordinances within individual towns continued, and an advertising campaign targeted to the business community was established to pose the question "Got Access?" In it, Walsh, Joliet Deputy City Manager Jim Shapard, Joliet Region Chamber President Russ Slinkard and First Midwest Bank's Jim Roolf urge the local business community to consider the win-win scenario created by providing full access to disabled consumers.

Consumers with disabilities are encouraged to work with and educate local businesses, and urged to patronize those who are fully compliant with local, state and federal laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Illinois Accessibility Code and Joliet Accessibility Ordinance.

Ongoing media outreach has focused on the many business and property owners, as well as the contractors and laborers, who have made equal access a priority and a reality. As many already have (Rodgers Construction, Modern Builders Industrial Concrete, R. Berti & Sons), local contractors and architects with case studies are encouraged to contact the Accessible Cities Alliance about their client access measures. Businesses that have made renovations to remove barriers to access are strongly encouraged to contact the alliance. And disabled consumers seeking access to goods and services are encouraged to log onto www.ada411.com, review the Accessible Business Directory, and patronize those businesses, or report their success stories in utilizing accessible businesses as well.

Throughout 2008, the Accessible Cities Alliance will continue to make progress toward increased access. Among its many goals: Maintain and update the Web site, at www.ada411.com, which has received more than 60,000 hits in two years; to develop and promote local case studies in compliance; work with the city of Joliet to establish a promotional plan for accessible businesses; produce and distribute an educational video, funded by the city of Joliet, with technical coordination from the
University of St. Francis; partner with economic development organizations, such as the Will County Center for Economic Development; and expand its reach into neighboring towns that realize the benefit of full access to disabled residents, workers, visitors and the community at large.

The Accessible Cities Alliance, a program of the local Center for Independent Living, continues to encourage active involvement, sponsorship and support from the civic, business and disability community. Individuals interested in joining the alliance, or companies interested in sponsoring it, are encouraged to contact Christine Book, media-community relations liaison, by calling (815) 729-0162 (V) or (815) 729-2085 (TTY).