Happy Pride Month from CIF

🌈🎉 Celebrating Pride Month: Embracing Diversity and Inclusivity! 🌈🎉

As we enter the vibrant and empowering month of Pride, we want to take a moment to recognize the incredible diversity within our community and shed light on an often overlooked intersection: the beautiful bond between the LGBTQ+ community and individuals with disabilities.

At Center for Independent Futures, we firmly believe in fostering an inclusive society that embraces everyone, regardless of their abilities or sexual orientation. We want to celebrate and honor the remarkable individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ and also have disabilities.

Did you know that people with disabilities are an essential and vibrant part of the LGBTQ+ community? Their unique experiences, perspectives, and resilience contribute to the rich tapestry of the movement for equality and acceptance.

Throughout history, individuals with disabilities have faced unique challenges when it comes to expressing their identities and accessing supportive resources. We stand with them, advocating for their rights, breaking down barriers, and ensuring their voices are heard loud and clear.

This Pride Month, we want to celebrate the beautiful spectrum of identities within our community, including those who identify as LGBTQ+ and live with disabilities. Let’s continue to create safe spaces, promote inclusivity, and champion equality for all!

Join us as we celebrate love, diversity, and resilience. Together, we can create a world where every individual feels empowered, accepted, and celebrated for exactly who they are.

Happy Pride Month, everyone! 🎉🌈

#PrideMonth #InclusionMatters #LGBTQ+ #DisabilityPride #LoveIsLove #DiversityandInclusion

Brews & Bites Raffles – Bears & Beyonce

We are SO excited to announce the “B&B Raffles” – an amazing opportunity to support CIF!  Not only will you have a chance to win an incredible experience, but you will also make a meaningful impact to support full lives. Winners need not be present – anyone can win! The B&B Raffles offer two remarkable prizes – both packages are valued at over $1200!!

Raffle #1 – 2 Tickets to the Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers with Parking Pass
The perfect game for any Bears fan!
Sunday, September 10, 2023
2 tickets, Section 222, Row 11, Seats 11-12
1 Parking Pass for North Garage Parking Orange (Soldier Field Parking Lots)

Raffle #2 – 2 Tickets to Beyonce – Renaissance World Tour at Soldier Field with Parking Pass 
Prepare to witness a legendary performance by none other than Queen B, herself!
Saturday, July 22, 2023
2 tickets, Section 222, Row 17, Seats 13-14
1 Parking Pass, General Admissions Lots (Soldier Field Parking Lots)

RAFFLE TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! To get your raffle tickets, click the button below and purchase your tickets at the affordable price of $25 for a single ticket or take advantage of our special offer of five tickets for $100. This allows you even more chances to win while maximizing your support for Center for Independent Futures.

Each ticket sold supports individuals with disabilities, ensuring they have the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. Share this with your friends! The winner does not be there to win!

Purchase your raffle tickets today and join us in our work to create a more inclusive and supportive society for individuals with disabilities. Together, we can make a lasting impact and inspire positive change.

Art Encounter honors CIF as their Community Partner of the Year 

This February, Art Encounter announced Center for Independent Futures as their 2022 Community Partner of the Year.

Art Encounter is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating, empowering, and connecting people of all ages and backgrounds through interactive encounters with visual art. Their broad range of programs foster community, creativity, and a greater understanding of the world around us.

During the 2020 pandemic shutdown, Jeff Morthorst, CIF’s Activities Director, partnered with Art Encounter to provide creative and social enrichment through virtual and in-person hands-on artmaking workshops, visits to artists’ studios, and in-depth coaching of independent studio practice.

Together CIF and Art Encounter have grown our Art Club over the past few years thanks to the passion and dedication of Art Encounter staff, Jeff’s work to provide high-quality activities, and CIF’s creative grants team Niki Moe and Geri Miller-Brown. Congratulations everyone!

RSVP To Virtual SPARK!

Independent Futures hosted SPARK every April for more than a decade. Like many other organizations, this year has presented us with opportunities to try new things, like moving to a virtual SPARK! We are working hard to make our virtual celebration as much fun as our typical annual celebration.

How To Attend SPARK

Illustrated graphic that shows a red Alfa Romero car behind an orange construction sign reading "Detour Rescheduled Sat. Nov 7 2020"Head over to our SPARK event page to RSVP. Because SPARK will be online, Independent Futures will not sell tickets. For the first time, SPARK is free to attend for all – even our post-celebration dance party.

When you RSVP for SPARK, you will receive a confirmation email that includes a Zoom link. Save this email or add it to your calendar to make sure you don’t lose the link. We will also send reminder emails starting the week before November 7th. Those emails will also include the Zoom link in case your original email goes missing! 

What To Expect At Virtual SPARK

While SPARK usually entails dancing, dinner, auctions, and games, our program will be shorter this year. The program will also be driven by individuals in our community who want to share their talents. 

When you tune in, you can expect to hear from Ann Sickon, our Executive Director, and watch performances arranged and filmed by participants or tutors. In between these accomplished artists, we will announce our 2020 Awesome Award honorees! 

Our Exclusive After Party

People dance at SPARK after the end of the program.After we end our virtual SPARK program, Independent Futures is thrilled to announce that we will be hosting an after party! 

Join us and our favorite band, Euphoria, for a 45 minute dance party! All you need to do is stay on the Zoom call during a 5 minute intermission. After intermission, we will return with Euphoria ready to play some of your favorite songs. 

You Can Help Independent Futures

A woman and young man next to each other at SPARK, an Evanston eventIf you are able, the best way to help Independent Futures right now is by donating to SPARK. No gift is too small – or too great. You can donate online or via text by texting SPARK20 to 44-321. 

Don’t forget: RSVP today to be part of this unique celebration. We hope to see you online on November 7th!

sat07nov7:00 pmSPARK

How To Create Inclusive Person-Centered IEP Plans

At too many IEP meetings, educators focus on student deficits. They get stuck when it comes time to explore a student’s strengths. Educators and families alike wonder why these meetings are tense and difficult.

Families are constantly fighting to discover and create inclusive spaces for their loved ones. IEP meetings should already be inclusive and safe for students with disabilities but they’re traditionally difficult for teachers, families, and students. Hosting inclusive person-centered IEP meetings is crucial to a student’s long-term success. 

What Is a Person-Centered IEP?

Image of a blackboard with letters ABC on it with books and chalk in the foreground.IEPs, or Individualized Education Plans, are meant to be documents supporting the development of a student with disabilities. Required by law under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), an IEP should track students’ success in achieving learning goals. It also documents what services the student needs to succeed.

IDEA states that all children, with or without disabilities, have the right to an appropriate, free, and public education that meets the student’s needs. Because of the requirement of an appropriate education, parents and educators meet to discuss student performance and goals.

To make an IEP person-centered, it is important to include students. From there, educators can develop plans based on the students’ vision of their future. Read more for 3 ways families and teachers can put an inclusive person-centered IEP into practice.

  1. Support Each Other Through the Process

No IEP meeting is easy. Working together with understanding and compassion can make the process better though. 

New Skills Inventory client practices her kitchen skills.Teachers can start by interviewing the family about how past meetings went. What could have been better? What conversations went well? This interview is all about how you can help increase positivity throughout the process. 

For families, supporting your child’s school team is important too. Try to spend some time reflecting on your past experiences. What do you need to feel secure about your student’s education? Be clear and upfront with the education team and have goals of your own as your enter the room.

  1. Advocate for Students and Schools

Remember why you are all at this meeting: to support and advocate for the student. Family members’ main goal is to advocate for their loved one. But don’t forget, as a family member, you can advocate for educators too. Schools, especially special education programs, need to be fully funded; teachers need to be paid living wages; and resources have to be allocated to support these goals.

Teachers can advocate for their students in the classroom, but don’t forget to continue advocating outside the classroom. Have conversations with adults who live with disabilities – what is their daily life like? Teachers can also support the development of self-advocacy skills in their students. Read more about 3 ways you can teach self-advocacy skills to your students.

  1. Practice Self-Determined Transition Planning

Young man taking a book off of a shelf at the library with many books surrounding him and glass windows in the background.For this tip, teachers and family members can work together. Focus on the student. This may sound simple, but it is actually a much more involved process. Educators can focus on teaching students how to create their own measurable goals. Once the student understands the concept of self-determination, move on to helping them map out their dreams with action plans. 

Families can help at home with these important skills. Bring your child along to their IEP meetings, and allow them to articulate their own future. 

None of these solutions are easy to implement. However, both teachers and family members will find that these 3 ways to create an inclusive person-centered IEP will lead to better futures for students with disabilities. 

Not an educator or family member? Forward this blog to someone who needs it! 

New at SPARK: Golden Tickets & Live Auction Prizes

Every year before SPARK, we are so excited to announce the fabulous live auction packages available to our guests for bidding. Today, we are announcing the five prizes attendees will be able to bid on, plus a thrilling new way to experience SPARK!

Introducing the Golden Ticket

For the first time, we will be offering Golden Tickets to our community! Golden Tickets are a new way to participate in our favorite night of the year. There will only be 150 Golden Tickets sold, so you know what your chances of winning are! If you purchase a Golden Ticket, please make sure that you have selected your prize at the time of purchase. Winners need not be present to win. Each Golden Ticket is $100, and the prize is something special!

The winner of our Golden Ticket drawing will get to choose from the live auction prizes before any bidding even starts! If you win the raffle, you will receive the prize you choose at time of purchase, and that prize will be removed from the live auction. Are you ready to find out your options?

SPARK 2019 Live Auction Packages

From golfers to travelers to art lovers, we have a winning package for anyone’s interests. Don’t miss out on your chance to secure the package you know you want – get your Golden Ticket today! And if you don’t win, there’s still a chance to win your item in the live auction. Check out the live auction prizes today.

Golfing With A Pro

You and a friend will join Hans Larson, PGA head professional, at Westmoreland Country Club, accompanied by member Jim McClure. Your day on the course will include 18 holes of golf, caddies, tips & playing lessons from Hans, and lunch. Date to be mutually agreed upon among all parties.

Magnificent Views in Costa Rica

Enjoy a weeklong vacation at Villa Vista Magnifica in Costa Rica, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and gorgeous beaches Playa Prieta and Playa Penca. Villa Vista Magnifica is a 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath villa staffed with 2 full-time employees. You and 9 of your friends can relax in luxury with such features as an outdoor shower, a private patio, an infinity edge pool, and an upstairs terrace view. Airfare not included; average airfare to Costa Rica is $450 per person. High season is from May through July.

Dinner With Easter Seals Vice President
Please join our Executive Director Ann Sickon & 8 other guests for a four-course gourmet dinner with fine wines in a newly renovated 1882 row house in Little Italy on a Friday or Saturday night this summer. Our hosts Tom LeClair and Carlyn Berghoff will prepare an amazing evening that also includes lively conversation on trending topics in the world of disabilities.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Four seats to your choice of two 2019 games decided upon in conjunction with the donor. These seats offer an extraordinary opportunity to experience Wrigleyville’s favorite team from premium seats only 10 rows behind home plate.

Rob Larson’s Water Lilies

Inspired by Claude Monet’s use of color and expressive brushstrokes, our own Rob Larson has created his own rendition of Water Lilies. Using oil on canvas, the painting celebrates the beautiful relationships found in nature through reflections in the pond and the flowering water lilies.

What Are You Waiting For?

Group enjoying games at Evanston fundraising event, SPARKTickets are on sale now! Early bird prices are available until March 31st, and then all ticket prices will increase by $25. While you’re getting tickets to SPARK, you can also purchase your Golden Ticket and Heads or Tails glamour glasses. Don’t forget to indicate which prize you’d like if you bought a Golden Ticket, and let us know your dinner choices too!

We can’t wait to see you at SPARK and start igniting dreams together!

Jonathan’s Jolly Old Trip to England & Ireland, Part One

Jonathan Shuman is a young man who loves to travel the world. He sees the world in a positive, friendly way, and he wants to share his experiences with all of you. This is part one of three in Jonathan’s new travel series,

Jonathan standing in front of a rock at Berkshire National ParkMy name is Jonathan Shuman. I’m 29 years old. I live independently in the Chicagoland area. I currently work as an office assistant at an architecture firm called Solomon Cordwell Buenz in downtown Chicago. I’m a huge fan of world travel. Some of the places in the world that I’ve been to include Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, St. Martin, Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, France, Israel, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Russia, Finland, and Sweden. Today, I want to share my experiences from my recent trip to England and Ireland with Search Beyond Adventures.

On Thursday, September 20, 2018, my mother Joelle picked me up at Photo of Aberdeen Lodge with large garden surrounding circular signHarrison House in Evanston, Illinois to take me to Chicago O’Hare International Airport where I would meet the tour guide and new group of friends that I would be traveling with for the next 9 days. It was a normal flight and our flight from Chicago to Dublin, Ireland lasted 6-7 hours long. When we got to Dublin International Airport, we went to the Aberdeen Lodge which is a Victorian-style hotel that’s located at Park Avenue in Dublin, Ireland. I was roommates with my new friend David who is from Hastings, Minnesota.

When we were in Dublin, Ireland, we did lots of fun stuff. We went to places such as St. Stephen’s Green and Christ Church Cathedral, which was built at the time that the Tudors ruled England. We also went to the Guinness Brewery and I learned how beer got its name from barley which is used to create beer. I tried a Guinness draught beer, and it tasted very strong.

Image of Wicklow Mountains, green pastures surrounding a lakeThe next morning, we went to the Wicklow Mountains and the Sally Gap and we went to Glendalough, a tiny town in Ireland, which is home to a monastery built by St. Kevin. The monastery is called Sevenchurches. Over the course of its 1,000-year history, it has been raided by the Irish clans, the British, and the Vikings. That same day, we took hikes and we went to a lake located in Glendalough and we watched the sunset. One cool thing that I saw was a tomb that was used as a filming location for a TV show called Vikings starring Alexander Ludwig.

On the next installment of Jonathan’s new travel series, find out who is on the Ireland Wall of Fame and some of Jonathan’s favorite parts of England! Stay tuned!

Success Stories

fri29mar7:15 pmfri8:15 pmMusical Theater Appreciation - Zoom

Volunteer your time and talent

Regardless of your expertise or experience, giving of yourself can change lives for the better and create new possibilities for those with disabilities.

Volunteer »

Give the gift of independence

Your tax-deductible contributions help us provide life-changing services, develop innovative solutions, and increase community education and outreach.

Engage with dynamic crypto markets at voltix momentum.