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timothy j. quirk Candidate for State Representative District 12
Back to Candidate Questionnaire
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CIVIL RIGHTS Do you believe that people with disabilities have the same rights as anyone else? YES Do you believe that individuals with disabilities should be the primary decision maker in their lives? YES, whenever severe mental disability does not make that impossible. POLITICAL LEADERSHIP Will you make it a priority to include people with disabilities as part of your political team and/or as advisors on relevant issues? YES If YES, how do you intend to do so? By seeking input from the disabled community and organizations that represent them on all relevant issues. TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS Do you support legislative measures to require that Internet technologies be made accessible to and usable by people with disabilities in Illinois? YES What measures would you propose to ensure that consumer electronic and telecommunications devices are accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities in Illinois? Make assistive technology such as one handed keyboards more available and affordable. Legislative support to reduce end user costs for assistive technology. INTEGRATED COMMUNITY LIVING Do you support funding mechanisms, such as "Money Follows the Person," that allow people with disabilities in Illinois who are currently unnecessarily institutionalized to move into integrated settings? YES How would you increase opportunities for people with disabilities in Illinois to live in the most integrated settings? Provide support for proposals which see housing set aside for the use of people with disabilities who wish to live in integrated settings. Support programs such as KCCDD (www.kccdd.com). How will you address the shortage of community direct care attendants in Illinois? Ensure that state law reflects the value of work done by care providers by providing that they receive equal pay and compensation for work as do colleagues in traditional hospital settings. This problem can also be tackled by helping persons with disabilites become more independent. HOUSING What would you do to increase the availability of affordable, accessible, integrated housing opportunities in the community for low and moderate income people with disabilities and their families? Provide that mixed income housing units set aside an appropriate percentage of units for the disabled and their families/caregivers. EMPLOYMENT What steps would you take to reduce employment barriers and improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities in your district and in the entire state of Illinois? Encourage and support work from home opportunities for persons with mobility restrictions. I would ensure that all job outreach centers and programs are fully accessible. Provide funding that will reduce the cost of adaptive technologies. EDUCATION Federal and state laws require that students with disabilities are educated in the least restrictive environment and that appropriate accommodations and support services are provided to them. How would you ensure that these laws are enforced in Illinois? Education is always about teaching students as much as ourselves. Every teacher who writes an IEP and sets goals for a disabled student should be held responsible for both good and bad results. Teachers are all too often put in a bad light regarding poor performance of their students; however, let's focus on those teachers who are making a difference. Perhaps if we acknowledge and defend our good teachers more, enforcing these laws would not be as hard as it seems to be. HEALTHCARE What steps would you take to ensure that people with disabilities in Illinois have access to affordable, quality health care that is responsive to their individual needs? As a candidate with the Green Party, we support a full system of universal health care that covers all citizens, and which makes no exclusions for pre-existing conditions. How would you improve the quality of health and rehabilitation services provided to veterans with disabilities in Illinois? As a candidate with the Green Party, we support a full system of universal health care that covers all citizens, and which makes no exclusions for pre-existing conditions. TRANSPORTATION What would you do to expand access to affordable, accessible transportation for people with disabilities in Illinois, especially in rural areas? As my district is in the heart of a very dense urban area, I believe that a relatively acceptable level of service ia currently provided to persons with disabilities through accessible buses and train stations as well as DART service. Services like those provided by the CTA need to be expanded throughout the state. In rural areas, scheduled group van service can provide a key bridge to the community for disabled persons. VOTING What steps would you take to ensure that voters with disabilities in Illinois are able to vote privately and independently? I would make sure that all polling places where disabled voters are registered are accessible and that the voting booths can accomodate wheelchairs and walking aids. Assistive electronic voting devices must also be provided.
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