A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Illinois State Resources

Complete update · 6/2007
Partial update · 3/4/2008

The offices listed on this state sheet are primarily state-level offices. Even if an office is not close to your home, they can usually put you in touch with resources in your community, as well as provide you with information and assistance about disability issues in your state. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.

State Agencies and Organizations

Age of Eligibility

Each state sets eligibility ages for services to children and youth with disabilities. For current information concerning this state, please contact the office listed under Department of Education: Special Education.

United States Senators
Honorable Dick Durbin (D)
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2152
(202) 228-0400 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm#contact
Web: http://durbin.senate.gov

Honorable Barack Obama (D)
713 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2854
(202) 228-4260 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://obama.senate.gov/contact/
Web: http://obama.senate.gov

United States Representatives
To find the contact information for your representative in the House of the U.S. Congress, visit the House’s Web site at: www.house.gov, or call: (202) 225-3121; (202) 225-1904 (TTY).

Governor
Honorable Rod R. Blagojevich
Office of the Governor
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-0244 (V/TTY)
E-mail: governor@state.il.us
Web: www.illinois.gov/gov/

Official State Web Site
Web: www100.state.il.us/

State Department of Education: Special Education
Elizabeth Hanselmen, Acting Assistant Superintendent for Special Education
Illinois State Board of Education
100 N. First Street, N-243
Springfield, IL 62777-0001
(217) 782-4870
E-mail: ehanselm@isbe.net
Web: www.isbe.net/spec-ed/

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Illinois State Board of Education
100 N. 1st Street
Springfield, IL 62777
(217) 782-5053
Web: www.isbe.net

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2
Janet D. Gully, Bureau Chief
Bureau of Early Intervention
Department of Human Services
222 S. College, 2nd Floor
Springfield, IL 62704
(217) 782-1981; (800) 323-4769 (in IL only)
E-mail: janet.gully@illinois.gov
Web: www.dhs.state.il.us/ei

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Kay Henderson, Division Administrator
Division of Early Childhood Education
100 N. First Street, C-428
Springfield, IL 62777-0001
(217) 524-4835
E-mail: hhenders@isbe.net
Web: www.isbe.net

Technical Support to Schools
On inclusion
Project CHOICES
1590 S. Fairfield Avenue
Lombard, IL 60148
(630) 629-0551
Web: www.projectchoices.org

On Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
Lucille Eber, Statewide Director
Illinois Statewide Technical Assistance Center
PBIS Network
928 Barnsdale Road, Suite 254
LaGrange Park, IL 60526
(708) 482-4860
E-mail: lewrapil@aol.com
Web: www.ebdnetwork-il.org/

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Robert F. Kilbury, Ph.D., Director
Division of Rehabilitation Services
Department of Human Services
100 S. Grand Avenue, East
Springfield, IL 62762
(800) 843-6154 (V/TTY)
E-mail: DHSRSA0@dhs.state.il.us
Web: www.dhs.state.il.us/ors/

Coordinator for Transition Services
Susan Walter, Transition Consultant
Illinois State Board of Education
10 Meadowlark Lane
Highland, IL 62249
(618) 651-9028
E-mail: smwalter@charter.net
Web: www.isbe.net

Illinois State Board of Education
Division of Special Education Services
100 N. First Street, M/C N253
Springfield, IL 62777-0001
(217) 782-5589
Web: www.isbe.net/spec-ed

Office of State Coordinator of Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities
Illinois State Board of Education
100 N. First Street
Springfield, IL 62777-0001
(217) 782-4620
Web: www.isbe.net

State Mental Health Agency
Lorrie Rickman Jones, Ph.D., Director
Division of Mental Health
Department of Human Services
160 N. LaSalle, 10th Floor
Chicago, IL 60601
(217) 785-6023; (800) 843-6154 (Hotline)
(800) 447-6404 (TTY)
E-mail: lorrierickman.jones@illinois.gov
Web: www.dhs.state.il.us/mhdd/mh

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth
Lorrie Rickman Jones, Ph.D., Director
Division of Mental Health
Department of Human Services
160 N. LaSalle, 10th Floor
Chicago, IL 60601
(217) 785-6023; (800) 843-6154 (Hotline)
(800) 447-6404 (TTY)
E-mail: lorrierickman.jones@illinois.gov
Web: www.dhs.state.il.us/mhdd/mh

Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities
Jeri Johnson, Director
Division of Developmental Disabilities
Department of Human Services
319 E. Madison, Suite 4N
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 524-7065
E-mail: dhs9255@dhs.state.il.us
Web: www.state.il.us/agency/dhs

Councils on Developmental Disabilities
Sheila T. Romano, Executive Director
Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities
830 S. Spring Street
Springfield, IL 62704
(217) 782-9696 (V/TTY)
Web: www.state.il.us/agency/icdd/

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Zena Naiditch, CEO/President
Equip for Equality, Inc.
20 N. Michigan, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 341-0022; (800) 537-2632 (V)
(800) 610-2779 (TTY)
E-mail: contactus@equipforequality.org
Web: www.equipforequality.org

Client Assistance Program
Cathy Meadows, Manager
Illinois Client Assistance Program
100 N. First Street, 1st Floor West
Springfield, IL 62702-5197
(217) 782-5374 (V/TTY); (800) 641-3929 (in IL)
E-mail: cathy.meadows@illinois.gov
Web: www.dhs.state.il.us/ors/cap

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Charles N. Onufer, M.D., Director
Division of Specialized Care for Children
University of Illinois at Chicago
P.O. Box 19481
2815 W. Washington, Suite 300
Springfield, IL 62794-9481
(217) 793-2340; (800) 322-3722
E-mail: cnonufer@uic.edu
Web: www.uic.edu/hsc/dscc/

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
Illinois All Kids
Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services
201 S. Grand Avenue East
Springfield, IL 62763-0002
(866) 468-7543; (877) 204-1012 (TTY)
E-mail: hfswebmaster@illinois.gov
Web: www.allkids.com

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, or Deaf-Blind
Joseph Parvis, Specialist
Services for Persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Division of Rehabilitation Services
Department of Human Services
100 W. Randolph Street, Suite 5-300
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 814-2939; (312) 814-3040 (TTY)
Web: www.dhs.state.il.us/ors/sdhh/

Barbara Sims, Principal Education Consultant
Illinois State Board of Education
Division of Special Education Services
100 N. First Street
Springfield, IL 62777-0001
(217) 782-5589
E-mail: bsims@isbe.net
Web: www.isbe.net/spec-ed

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 526-0857 (V)
(800) 526-0844 (TTY); 711 (TTY)
(877) 526-6690 (Speech to Speech)

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Bettye Odem-Davis, Bureau Chief
Bureau of the Blind
Office of Rehabilitation Services
Department of Human Services
100 W. Randolph Street, Suite 5-300
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 814-3323
Web: www.dhs.state.il.us/ors/bbs/

Paula Stadeker, Principal Education Consultant
Illinois State Board of Education
Division of Special Education Services
100 N. First Street
Springfield, IL 62777-0001
(217) 782-5589
E-mail: pstadeke@isbe.net
Web: www.isbe.net/spec-ed

State Education Agency Rural Representative
Department of Rural Education
Southern Illinois Regional Office
Illinois State Board of Education
123 S. Tenth Street, Suite 200
Mt. Vernon, IL 62864
(618) 244-8383
Web: www.isbe.state.il.us

Regional ADA Technical Assistance Center
Robin Jones, Director
DBTAC - Great Lakes ADA Center
University of Illinois/Chicago
Department on Disability & Human Development
1640 W. Roosevelt Road, Room 405
Chicago, IL 60608
(312) 413-1407 (V/TTY); (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: gldbtac@uic.edu
Web: www.adagreatlakes.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Tamar Heller, Director
Institute on Disability and Human Development
Department of Disability and Human Development
University of Illinois at Chicago
1640 W. Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60608
(312) 413-1647 (V); (312) 413-0453 (TTY)
E-mail: mrizzo@uic.edu
Web: www.ahs.uic.edu/dhd

Technology-Related Assistance
Wilhelmina Gunther, Executive Director
Illinois Assistive Technology Program
1 W. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 100
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 522-7985(V/TTY)
(800) 852-5110 (V/TTY, in IL only)
E-mail: wgunther@iltech.org
Web: www.iltech.org

State Mediation System
Sherry Colegrove, Coordinator
Illinois State Board of Education
Division of Special Education Services
100 N. First Street, N-253
Springfield, IL 62777
(217) 782-5589
E-mail: scolegro@isbe.net
Web: www.isbe.net/spec-ed

For a listing of resource centers that provide legal or advocacy services at no or low cost, visit: www.isbe.net/spec-ed/parent%20advocates.htm
For due process information:

Jodi Fleck, Interim Division Administrator
Illinois State Board of Education
Division of Special Education Services
100 N. First Street
Springfield, IL 62777-0001
(217) 782-5589
E-mail: jfleck@isbe.net
Web: www.isbe.net/spec-ed

Special Format Library
Sharon Ruda, Associate Director
Illinois State Library
Talking Book and Braille Service
401 E. Washington
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 782-9435; (800) 665-5576 ext. 5 (in IL)
(888) 261-5280 (TTY)
E-mail: sruda@ilsos.net
Web: www.ilbph.org

Disability-Specific Organizations

Attention Deficit Disorder
To identify an ADD group in your state or locality, contact either:

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CH.A.D.D)
8181 Professional Place, Suite 150
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 306-7070
(800) 233-4050 (Voice mail to request information packet)
Web: www.chadd.org

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
P.O. Box 543
Pottstown, PA 19464-0543
(484) 945-2101
Web: www.add.org

Autism
Kimberly Maddox, Executive Director
Autism Society of Illinois
2200 S. Main Street, Suite 205
Lombard, IL 60148-5366
(630) 691-1270; (888) 691-1270
E-mail: info@autismillinois.org
Web: www.autismillinois.org

Kathy Gould, Project Director
Illinois Autism/PDD Training and Technical Assistance Project
1590 S. Fairfield Avenue
Lombard, IL 60148
(630) 889-7398
E-mail: gouldkl@comcast.net
Web: www.illinoisautismproject.org

Blind/Visual Impairments
Jaclyn Packer, Ph.D., Director of Information Center
American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
(212) 502-7600; (800) 232-5463
E-mail: afbinfo@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Brain Injury
Philicia L. Deckard, Executive Director
Brain Injury Association of Illinois
P.O. Box 64420
Chicago, IL 60664-0420
(312) 726-5699 (V); (800) 699-6443
E-mail: info@biail.org
Web: www.biail.org

Cerebral Palsy
Don Moss, Executive Director
United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois
310 E. Adams
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 528-9681
E-mail: ucpil@sbcglobal.net
Web: www.ucpillinois.org

Epilepsy
Garett Auriemma, Interim Executive Director/President
Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago
17 N. State, Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 939-8622; (800) 273-6027
(312) 628-4770(TTY)
E-mail: info@epilepsychicago.org
Web: www.epilepsychicago.org

Epilepsy Resource Center
(serving central Illinois)
1315 W. Lawrence Avenue
Springfield, IL 62704
(217) 726-1839 (V/TTY); (800) 800-6401
E-mail: llobue@spfldsparc.org

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Tony Paulauski, Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
18207-A Dixie Highway
Homewood, IL 60430
(708) 206-1930
E-mail: tony@thearcofil.org
Web: www.thearcofil.org

Learning Disabilities
Kathy Kirkwood, President
Learning Disabilities Association of Illinois
10101 S. Roberts Road, Suite 205
Palos Hills, IL 60465
(708) 430-7532
E-mail: LDAOFIL@ameritech.net
Web: www.ldail.org

Kathleen Wagner, Executive Director
Illinois Branch of the International Dyslexia Association
751 Roosevelt Road, Suite 116
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
(630) 469-6900
E-mail: info@readibida.org
Web: www.readibida.org

Mental Health
Carol Wozniewski, Executive Director
Mental Health Association in Illinois
70 East Lake Street, Suite 900
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 368-9070
E-mail: cwoz@mhai.org
Web: www.mhai.org

Lora Thomas, Executive Director
NAMI Illinois
218 W. Lawrence
Springfield, IL 62704
(217) 522-1403; (800) 346-4572
E-mail: namiil@sbcglobal.net
Email: thomas.lora@sbcglobal.net
Web: http://il.nami.org

Speech, Language, and Hearing
Cynthia Keillor, Executive Director
Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association
230 E. Ohio Street, Suite 400
Chicago, IL 60611-3265
(312) 644-0828, ext. 5219
E-mail: ckeillor@bostrom.com
Web: www.ishail.org

Spina Bifida
Adam S. Rappaport, Executive Director
Illinois Spina Bifida Association
8765 W. Higgins Road, Suite 403
Chicago, IL 60631
(773) 444-0305; (800) 969-4722
E-mail: sbail@sbail.org
Web: www.sbail.org

Spinal Cord Injury
Mercedes Rauen, Executive Director
Spinal Cord Injury Association of Illinois
1032 S. La Grange Road
LaGrange, IL 60525
(708) 352-6223; (877) 373-0301
E-mail: SCIInjury@aol.com
Web: www.sci-illinois.org

Organizations Especially for Parents

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI)
Charlotte Des Jardins, Director
Family Resource Center on Disabilities
20 E. Jackson Boulevard, Room 300
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 939-3513; (800) 952-4199 (In IL)
E-mail: frcdptiil@ameritech.net
Web: www.frcd.org

Donald Moore, Executive Director
Designs for Change
814 S. Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 236-7252; (312) 236-7944 (TTY)
E-mail: info@designsforchange.org
Web: www.designsforchange.org

Debbie Einhorn, Director
Family Matters
Parent Training and Information Center
1901 S. 4th Street, Suite 209
Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 347-5428 (V/TTY); (866) 436-7842, ext. 116
E-mail: deinhorn@arc-css.org
Web: www.fmptic.org

Partners in Policymaking
Ginny Cooke
Phoenix Perth Institute
P.O. Box 5429
Evanston, Illinois 60401-5429
(847) 425-1967
E-mail: ginnycooke@aol.com

Parent-To-Parent
Charlotte Des Jardins, Executive Director
Family Resource Center on Disabilities
20 E. Jackson Boulevard, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 939-3513; (800) 952-4199 (In IL)
E-mail: frcdptiil@ameritech.net
Web: www.frcd.org

Charlotte Cronin, Executive Director
Family Support Network of Illinois
5739 W. Martindale Lane
Peoria, IL 61615-9669
(309) 693-8981
E-mail: fsn@familysupportnetwork.org
Web: www.familysupportnetwork.org/

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Jean Razunas, President
Illinois Congress of Parents and Teachers
901 S. Spring Street
Springfield, IL 62704-2790
(217) 528-9617; (800) 877-9617
E-mail: il_office@pta.org
Web: www.illinoispta.org

Other Disability Organizations

Kathy O'Brien, Resource Director
Pathways Awareness Foundation
150 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 2100
Chicago, IL 60601
(800) 955-2445 (800) 326-8154 (TTY)
E-mail: friends@pathwaysawareness.org
Web: www.pathwaysawareness.org

Jo Holzer, Executive Director
Council for Disability Rights
30 E. Adams, Suite 1130
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 444-9484; (312) 444-1967 (TTY)
Web: www.disabilityrights.org

Illinois State Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities (ISAC)
Elizabeth Hanselmen, Acting Assistant Superintendent for Special Education
Illinois State Board of Education
100 N. First Street, N-243
Springfield, IL 62777-0001
(217) 782-4870
E-mail: ehanselm@isbe.net
Web: http://www.isbe.net/spec-ed/html/isac.htm

Kathy Trowbridge, Director
VSA arts of Illinois
P.O. Box 328
Washington, IL 61571
(309) 745-9419
E-mail: Info@VSAartsIL.org
Web: www.vsaartsil.org/

Independent Living

To find out the contact information for the Statewide
Independent Living Council (SILC) in your state, contact:
Independent Living Research Utilization Project
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research
2323 South Sheppard, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 520-0232 (V); (713) 520-5136 (TTY)
E-mail: ilru@ilru.org
Web: www.ilru.org

To find out the contact information for centers for
independent living (CILs) in your state, contact:
National Council on Independent Living
1710 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 207-0334 (V); (202) 207-0340 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org

This information is copyright free. Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY).
NICHCY State Resources are listings of selected state-wide organizations that can refer people to organizations in their area. We update our state resources continuously; however, the addresses and telephone numbers of these selected groups are constantly changing. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.
Publication of this document is made possible through a Cooperative Agreement between the Academy for Educational Development and the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.	NICHCY P.O. Box 1492 Washington, DC 20013 (800) 695-0285 · v/tty (202) 884-8441 · fax e-mail: nichcy@aed.org web: www.nichcy.org