Over a dozen adults in JCFS Chicago’s Residential Supports program recently learned about healthy snacks, thanks to a nutrition initiative run by several local college students. The four-session program is the brainchild of JCFS nurse Janis Goodman.

Two JCFS programs – Residential Supports and the Duman Opportunity Center – are working together to help individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) achieve independence and be active members of their communities.

In honor of Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), JCFS Chicago is proud to join Jewish local and national organizations in a unified effort to raise awareness and elevate the voices of people living with disabilities.

Disability Pride month is an opportunity to give a voice to people with disabilities and a platform to push for positive change.  

Service dogs have become increasingly commonplace in recent years as experts have discovered how useful they can be for accommodating people with disabilities.

We applaud UIC Associate Professor Kristin Berg and the Behavioral Health Stratified Treatment (BEST project) for seeking to better understand the needs of young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We at JCFS Chicago share the project’s goals of early identification and treatment of mental health challenges to improve health and vocational trajectories across the life.

For Alex, a happy, energetic 12-year-old with social challenges, the pandemic brought his usually busy world to a halt. With no recreation or socialization outside of his home for the first six months of the pandemic, Alex regressed in many areas. When JCFS Chicago’s Respite services opened back up in July 2020, it was the first place Alex was able to go to have fun after months of isolation.

When Earnest came to the SEP program, he regularly talked about two things: his knowledge of and experience with cleaning, and his love for animals.

Clothes shopping is part of the back to school season. Major retailers have introduced new, inclusive clothing lines designed to help solve some of the dressing challenges that parents of children with special needs face. 

From the day we are born we are a member of a community. As our development progresses and we learn to convey our wants and needs, our involvement and inclusion in family and community life increases. In some instances, infants and young children require early intervention therapy to augment their social, emotional and physical development so that they become actively engaged in their community.