Weekly Virtual Series
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Presented by:
Voter Education and Registration: January 20, 2026
Missy Norman, President of the League of Women Voters of the Springfield area, leads a discussion about the importance of voter education and the voter registration process.
Watch the webinar here.
Read the presentation here.
Informed Citizenship: January 26, 2026
Chris Ramos, Latinx and Immigrant Community Development Organizer at Access Living, leads a discussion about the basics and importance of informed citizenship. Chris encourages advocates to be engaged in politics and our local communities to strengthen our democracy.
Watch the webinar here.
Read the presentation here.
Looking Up Your Legislator and Current Legislation: February 2, 2026
Jae Jin Pak and T.J. Gordon, Research Associates for the Institute on Disability and Human Development at UIC, lead a discussion about the basics of using Congress.gov and ILGA.gov to look up elected officials and track current legislation.
Watch the webinar here.
Read the presentation here.
How to Submit a Witness Slip: February 9, 2026
Karthik Ramalingam, self-advocate and graduate of Partners in Policymaking, leads a discussion about submitting a witness slip on ILGA.gov. Witness slips are an important part of the legislative process in Illinois which allows constituents to show their support or opposition for prospective legislation.
Watch the webinar here.
Read the presentation here.
Crafting an Elevator Speech: February 17, 2026
Megan Norlin, Personal Assistant Training and Training Program Manager at Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living (INCIL), leads a discussion about creating and perfecting an elevator speech. An elevator speech is a useful tool that can be used during legislator meetings when elected officials have limited time.
Watch the webinar here.
Read the presentation here.
Arranging a Meeting With Your Legislator: February 23, 2026
Kaela Denny, Self-advocate, graduate of Partners in Policymaking, and Board member for the Lake County Center for Independent Living, leads a discussion about arranging a meeting with an elected official. Kaela walks through the process of calling and emailing your legislator.
Watch the webinar here.
Read the presentation here.
Discussing Political Issues with Civility: March 2, 2026
Rio Goodwin Perez, Director of The Going Home Coalition, leads a discussion about participating in politics with civility while maintaining our passion and challenging systems of oppression.
Watch the webinar here.
Read the presentation here.
How a Bill Becomes a Law at the State and Federal Levels: March 9, 2026
Amanda Hedberg and Garrett Reynolds of Aspire Chicago lead a discussion about the process for a piece of legislation to be signed into law at both the State and Federal levels.
Watch the webinar here.
Read the presentation here.
“In partnership with the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities. This communication is supported in part by grant number CFDA 93.630 from the U.S. administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.”
