Like many Americans, I\u2019ve been sitting with fear and a heavy heart as our federal government takes steps backward in protecting people with disabilities by angling to undo decades of work with a stroke of a pen and little regard for those it will impact.<\/p>\n
Last week, the U.S. Justice Department released a memo<\/a> that argued states don\u2019t have to provide in-home or community-based care<\/a> to people with disabilities who need support. These services are vital and allow people to live and ensure their right to be a part of their communities.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, as states may possibly choose this option, especially those who see it as a benefit to cutting costs, people with disabilities will slowly start to become more invisible and be forced to seek assistance through institutions. The world has a dark history of institutionalizing people with disabilities. We can\u2019t afford to go backward.<\/p>\n As an autistic educator who works with students with disabilities, these national conversations aren\u2019t abstract debates. They\u2019re personal and have real consequences that distort public understanding and affect how our students with disabilities, their families and staff see themselves.<\/p>\n We need leaders, now more than ever, who are ready to counteract the rising ableism and politicized conversations and debates on disability. The cost of inaction or complicity is too high and will result in further inequities and isolation for people with disabilities. We all deserve a space in this world.<\/p>\n Samantha Ellison, Uptown <\/p>\n Value of vocational schools <\/p>\n Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to deliver the keynote address at the commencement ceremony for Rockford Career College<\/a>, a 164-year-old vocational school and one of many such institutions in Illinois. As I told the students, their families and guests, vocational schools are increasingly being recognized as a valuable educational alternative to traditional four-year universities, and for good reason.<\/p>\n The unemployment rate for 20-something graduates of vocational schools and community colleges was only 2.1%, compared with 15.3% for four-year college alumni, according to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>. Locally, almost one-third of all jobs in Illinois by 2031 will require a high school diploma but less than a bachelor\u2019s degree, according to the Association for Career and Technical Education<\/a>. To meet this demand, Illinois in the 2022-23 school year had 125,022 postsecondary students participating in career and technical education.<\/p>\n What I appreciate about vocational schools is not just their convenient locations for students, but their ability to meet each student\u2019s needs based on where they are in life. Many of these students come from low-income or blue-collar backgrounds and may have believed that college or career vocational training was unattainable. However, now they are finding that vocational colleges are more affordable, offer degrees that require less time \u2014 generally two years, sometimes only 10 months \u2014 and prepare students for fields where there is real job demand.<\/p>\n Another item that stands out about our Illinois vocational schools is how they are breaking down traditional gender and age barriers in skilled vocational fields. What I found most impressive about meeting these students was that there were no traditional career silos holding them back.<\/p>\n There were many women earning degrees in fields that have traditionally been male dominated, such as plumbing, welding, electrical work and manufacturing. Likewise, men were pursuing careers in healthcare and nursing. I have long advocated hands-on technical training to prepare the next generation of skilled tradespeople for successful careers and to keep our local economy strong. It is encouraging to see.<\/p>\n Illinois educational leaders evolving and embracing what vocational schools have long advocated. Skilled vocational trades produce good-paying jobs and give students a bright future.<\/p>\n State Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford<\/p>\n Easing health care access for undocumented immigrants <\/p>\n Recent local news coverage of Pope Leo XIV\u2019s remarks on immigration<\/a> and human dignity raises important questions about how these values are or are not reflected in Chicagoans\u2019 ability to access healthcare.<\/p>\n As an intensive care unit nurse in the heart of the city, I repeatedly witness how fear of immigration enforcement officers, language barriers and lack of trust in institutions delay health care access for immigrant families. When patients delay seeking care due to these barriers, conditions that are manageable in early stages often progress to critical illness requiring intensive care. The success of ICU care is highly dependent on how quickly treatment is initiated. I often think about how many critically ill patients might have experienced better outcomes had they been able to receive care before their conditions became emergencies.<\/p>\n Access to healthcare should not be contingent upon immigration status. Healthcare institutions have an obligation to provide care to all patients in need.<\/p>\n Our city\u2019s leaders must strengthen policies promoting timely and equitable access to healthcare for all. <\/p>\n More specifically, I would encourage stronger policies that allow patients to seek medical care without fear of jeopardizing their access to essential services, along with increased public health outreach to immigrant communities. As reinforced by the pope\u2019s repeated emphasis on human dignity, solidarity and concern for vulnerable populations, protecting healthcare access for all Chicago residents is both an ethical responsibility and a public health necessity.<\/p>\n Grace Mulvey, Streeterville<\/p>\n Renew United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement<\/p>\n The Trump administration will soon make a pivotal decision \u2014 and over 120,000 Illinois jobs hang in the balance.<\/p>\n The United States, Mexico and Canada have begun preparations for the 2026 review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement<\/a>. The trade deal was a triumph of the first Trump administration \u2014 and the president would be wise to renew it.<\/p>\n The agreement modernized outdated rules, strengthened North American manufacturing and ensured that goods produced in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico can move across borders duty-free as long as they meet the agreement\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n Those requirements make sure the only products that get duty-free access are the ones genuinely made in North America. And because the agreement rewards companies for building their products with North American materials, it strengthens demand for what Illinois produces \u2014 from corn and soy to machinery and industrial components.<\/p>\n When corn grown in Brazil or Argentina can\u2019t be routed through Mexico to get tariff-free access to the U.S., it keeps the playing field fair for North American producers. And because Mexico also relies on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement-eligible corn for its own supply chains, Illinois growers maintain a built-in competitive edge on both sides of the border.<\/p>\n Forty-one percent of all Illinois goods exports go to Canada and Mexico, totaling $34 billion in 2023.<\/p>\n When these supply chains operate without tariff shocks or regulatory friction, Illinois producers stay competitive \u2014 and consumers see fewer price spikes on finished goods.<\/p>\n Strong, predictable North American trade helps the U.S. compete with China by keeping production and sourcing anchored in our own region. When companies can rely on a unified North American market, they are less likely to shift production overseas.<\/p>\n Renewing the agreement would lock in the predictability Illinois relies on and keep North American trade running smoothly for years to come.<\/p>\n Renewing the agreement would give Illinois farmers, manufacturers and small businesses the confidence to plan and invest, and it would help keep everyday life more affordable for families across the Land of Lincoln.<\/p>\n Mike Kirkton, CEO, Top View Farms Inc., former Livingston County Board member and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel<\/p>\n Native Americans afforded more rights than Palestinians <\/p>\n Neil Steinberg\u2019s comparison to the United States\u2019 taking land from the Native American<\/a> population being similar to Israel\u2019s being \u201cbuilt upon land that once belonged to someone else\u201d ignores that fact that in the U.S., Native Americans are citizens with rights, something that Israel continues to reject for Palestinians even after nearly 80 years \u2014 genocide<\/a> included.<\/p>\n Jim Murray, Loop<\/p>\n Accepting Israel\u2019s genocide<\/p>\n Does Neil Steinberg understand that by comparing Israel\u2019s \u201cblowing Gaza to smithereens\u201d to the genocide of Native Americans, he\u2019s essentially conceding that Israel is, in fact, committing a genocide? Did he just forget that he\u2019s supposed to pretend it\u2019s not a genocide? Or does he think the American genocide was not so bad? Quite revealing either way.<\/p>\n Steven Wyman, Ravenswood <\/p>\n Weak argument <\/p>\n Has Neil Steinberg considered that when he demonstrably shows he knows nothing about the anti-Zionist or Land Back movements, he looks foolish trying to argue against them?<\/p>\n Kathryn Flucht, Boystown<\/p>\n Tinted trouble <\/p>\n Lately I\u2019ve been noticing more vehicles on the streets and roads with dark black tinted windows and windshields. Under Illinois law<\/a>, a vehicle with a tinted windshield must have a Secretary of State window tint license plate<\/a>, accompanied by a physician\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n The percentage of light<\/a> allowed through is different for sedan cars and SUV cars or vans. Many vehicles are equipped with limo tint \u2014 measuring at a 5% visible light transmission \u2014 which is illegal in Illinois. This poses a threat to the public and first responders. Police officers making a traffic stop at 2:30 a.m. may not be able to see if a weapon is pointed at them. <\/p>\n State and municipal leaders should ensure that police have tint meters, so they can enforce the law. A statewide campaign can also warn these motorists that if they continue to ignore the law, they will be held accountable. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.<\/p>\n Gov. JB Pritzker and other elected officials, make sure to take the necessary steps to create a less precarious environment for first responders who would like to go home to their families every day just like you do.<\/p>\n Christopher Gomez, West Lawn<\/p>\n Suburbanites\u2019 loyalty to Chicago often uneven <\/p>\n Suburbanites love to claim the positives of Chicago while separating themselves from the negatives. <\/p>\n They dump on Chicago Public Schools, call the city dangerous and moan about the taxes. They will brag about the food but refuse to try restaurants that aren\u2019t in \u201ctrendy\u201d neighborhoods. They refuse to accept regional problems as regional and instead blame the city. <\/p>\n They do not build homeless shelters or push for more affordable housing. But they do fight hard to keep public housing and transit from expanding into their own hamlets. <\/p>\n They\u2019ll happily fund circus classes or marine biology classes while CPS students can\u2019t even get air conditioning. They\u2019ll visit museums in lakefront parks but won\u2019t lead park revitalization efforts in Englewood. <\/p>\n They will pour money into city elections to back their preferred (suburban) candidate but refuse a head tax as \u201cbad for business.\u201d<\/p>\n Being a Chicagoan is so much more than being from the general region or having family from there. Being from Chicago is not an ethnicity. It is a choice suburbanites opt out of. You have to take it with the good and the bad and work to make the city a better place for all. Being a Chicagoan is putting your money where your mouth is, not taking your taxes and running off to segregate yourselves in tiny towns.<\/p>\n Until suburbanites put skin in the game, they are NOT Chicagoans.<\/p>\n Conor McNamee, Beverly<\/p>\n Obama center fits with Nuclear Energy sculpture<\/p>\n Fans of the Obama Presidential Center<\/a> are saying it blends in well with the nearby Rockefeller Memorial Chapel <\/a>at the University of Chicago. I disagree. It reminds me more of the university\u2019s bronze sculpture Nuclear Energy by Henry Moore that sits at the site of the world\u2019s first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1. The first human-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was created at the university on Dec. 2, 1942. I passed Nuclear Energy most days my last two years as a U. of C. undergrad.<\/p>\n Walt Zlotow, U. of C. Class of \u201967, Glen Ellyn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Like many Americans, I\u2019ve been sitting with fear and a heavy heart as our federal government takes steps…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729321,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[97,252,253],"class_list":["post-729320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}