Tami Kuipers MCA Spedlaw

07/22/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐥𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

On July 20, the U.S. Department of Justice published a notice in the Federal Register stating that its long-standing guidance on enforcement of the integration mandate of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Olmstead v. L.C. is "not enforceable," and that the Department will no longer rely on it.

TAKE ACTION: We are asking everyone who cares about community living to share their experiences with their members of Congress, because nothing is more powerful than hearing directly from the people these decisions affect.

✅ 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬: https://qr.link/WtrJb6
✅ Read the Full Update: https://qr.link/UGBLFi

Here's what hasn't changed: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐃𝐀 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭'𝐬 𝐎𝐥𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰. People with disabilities still have the right to live, work, and belong in their communities.

What has changed is the message this send and that's why advocacy matters now more than ever.

For more than 76 years, The Arc of Illinois has stood alongside families who believe people with disabilities belong in their communities. We believed it then, and we believe it now.

Community is not a policy preference. It's where people belong.

07/22/2026

📢 𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 State Representative Nicole La Ha 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐔𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭!

📅 August 31 – September 2, 2026
Normal, IL or Hybrid through Zoom
🎟️ Register today: https://qr.link/Zzmg6W
𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟒 to guarantee your summit T-shirt in your preferred size!

Representative La Ha, a disability advocate, community leader, and mother of two, will join us to discuss legislative issues impacting people with disabilities and their families.

07/17/2026

We need your help! We are planning our webinar series for the 2026-2027 school year and would like to know what kinds of questions you have for our team of attorneys and advocates.

A few past webinar topics we have done (which are recorded and always accessible on our website) include:
🔹 Going Back to School Strategies
🔹 Autism - Myths, Realities and Advocacy Strategies
🔹 Building Effective Home-School Communication Strategies
🔹 Bullying: When Your Child/Student is Being Bullied
🔹 And more!

Please comment below or direct message us with ideas about webinar topics you would like to see!

06/16/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Pt9vJzuuH/

The moves, three people briefed on the plan say, are part of an effort to close the department by moving its functions to other parts of the government.

06/10/2026

Now that it's summertime, we don't want to think about school. But it's the perfect time to review your child's IEP or 504 plan and make sure everything is set for the next school year. Any questions? Give us a call, and we can help you review or answer them. Matt Cohen & Associates 866-787-9270.

04/21/2026

Matt Cohen & Associates Did you know that we have both attorneys AND advocates on staff to assist you? Call us to discuss your IEP or 504 plan questions. Elizabeth Hooper MCA Spedlaw Christine Palmieri MCA Spedlaw Jill Calian MCA Spedlaw Kim Milburn MCA ADA Law

04/21/2026

Spring is a great time to get ready for that next school year and make sure your IEP is in good shape.

In our office we frequently review IEPs. Often, we raise deficiencies in these goals in the due process complaints that we file on behalf of our clients. Defective goals can form the basis of a claim that the district failed to provide an appropriate educational program. The most common flaws in these goals are that they are immeasurable, lack baselines, or are compound in nature. A group called Special Education Community posted this helpful checklist of IEP issues that I've pasted below. I'd add one more to this list: goals that are not sufficiently ambitious. We sometimes see goals that simply set the bar too low, for example, requiring a student to achieve a skill that is barely beyond what the student has already mastered. Other objectives may allow for an excessive amount of adult prompting, or set mastery criteria that are not rigorous (e.g., 60% accuracy in 3/5 opportunities). Goals that are not rigorous do not meet the standard set in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. As the Supreme Court said, "[an] educational program must be appropriately ambitious in light of [the child's] circumstances.... the goals may differ, but every child should have the chance to meet challenging objectives." Our children deserve no less.

03/23/2026

For years, many women with ADHD were overlooked, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood.
Jane Indergaard, DNP, RN, a member of the editorial advisory board for CHADD’s Attention magazine, explores how growing awareness—and emerging research on hormones, treatment, and brain function—is helping women finally connect the dots.
A diagnosis doesn’t define you. It explains you. And that understanding can change everything.

For years, many women with ADHD were overlooked, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood.

Jane Indergaard, DNP, RN, a member of the editorial advisory board for CHADD’s Attention magazine, explores how growing awareness—and emerging research on hormones, treatment, and brain function—is helping women finally connect the dots.

A diagnosis doesn’t define you. It explains you. And that understanding can change everything.

🎧 Listen now

https://podcasts.CHADD.org/e/we-ve-come-a-long-way-advances-in-adhd-care-for-women/