In 2011, disabilityworks launched the Community Services Assessment Tool—a project to provide civic leaders with a structured process to learn about the available services to persons with disabilities in a specific community and to assess potential gaps and unmet service needs that may inhibit the full participation of people with disabilities. A community may be a region of the state, county, town or neighborhood. The information acquired through this process will help local communities to improve program services, reduce duplication and make the overall community more responsive to the participation of its residents.
Employment of people with disabilities does not take place in isolation, but as part of a broader continuum of community supports and activities. The assessment tool therefore looks at the accessibility of a community in the context of broader issues and concerns specific to persons with disabilities. Some of the ratings are not solely related to access for individuals with disabilities and may point to related livability factors.
The most important thing that will be learned from the tool will not be the final score, but rather knowing where communities do well and where they could benefit from new efforts to improve access for individuals with disabilities.
To view a map of where survey results have been collected from please view the Results Map.
If you are interested in learning more about the 2011 Community Services Assessment Tool, contact Mark Williams, Executive Director, disabilityworks, at 312-494-6713, or mwilliams@chicagolandchamber.org.
