Many people with disabilities in Illinois end up becoming excluded and isolated:
• Only 30% socialize on a weekly basis with friends compared to 85% of the general population.
• Only 33% of people with disabilities eat in a restaurant once a week, compared to 60% of those without disabilities.
• People with disabilities are more than twice as likely as people without disabilities to go without needed health care.
• People with disabilities are twice as likely as those without disabilities to consider inadequate transportation a problem.

Families in Illinois who have individuals with disabilities will have to make a much greater financial investment in their child’s future than the cost of a 4-year private university. Even without adjusting for inflation:
• Families supporting a relative with a disability at $500 per month ($6000 annually) from age 21 to 71 will contribute $300,000 to their support.
• Families supporting a relative with a disability at $1500 per month ($18,000 annually) from age 21 to 71 will contribute $900,000 to their support.

Our communities will not benefit from the contributions that people with disabilities can make.

For additional information, here are some web sites of organizations that advocate for people with disabilities:
• ARC • The Harris Poll • The State of the States in Developmental Disabilities Report

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