Candidate Responses

christine prochno

Candidate for State Representative

District 66

christineprochno@aol.com

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CIVIL RIGHTS

Do you believe that people with disabilities have the same rights as anyone else?

YES, I firmly believe that people with disabilities should have the same rights as everyone else.

Do you believe that individuals with disabilities should be the primary decision maker in their lives?

YES, I firmly believe that individuals with disabilities should be their own and primary decision maker in their lives.

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, I shall include people with disabilities in my political team, and definitely as advisors on relevant issues both through my campaign and, if elected, as a resource on state issues.

If YES, how do you intend to do so?

During this campaign, both in the primary and now in the general, I have met with the disability community to learn, to gain their input and to get their advice on issues important to them. As a public school teacher I have worked with the educational institution to advance the needs of young people who are disabled. I started my teaching career as an aide in a disabled classroom 34 years ago. I intend to establish my own ad hoc group to advise me on the goals of the disabled community and work with them in order to achieve these goals. I have made arrangements to tour Clearbrook Center, which is in my district, on July 2nd to get a better idea of the challenges facing disabled people in the district.

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. I believe that every advance in the technology field must be made available and provide access to people with disabilities.

What measures would you propose to ensure that consumer electronic and telecommunications devices are accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities in Illinois?

I researched this issue and looked at provisions for accessibility and the mandate under the ADA. The telecommunication field has advanced - telemedicine, video conferences, relay services - the benefits are there.

The measures I would take would include: grants to libraries to train the disabled to use these tools for education, work, and personal needs. I would expand community college programs to again assist and train the use of these tools and to provide low-interest loans or grants to individuals and not-for-profit organizations to purchase telecommunication instruments. Funding by the state must be increased to implement these programs and I would prioritize this need. As a long standing member of the Lioness Club of Elk Grove, I have been committed to meeting the needs of the vision impaired. It has been our organization's pleasure to collect reading glasses for redistribution. We have also purchased reading equipment for the vision impaired and provided this equipment at no cost to our residents.

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?

I definitely support the idea of "Money Follows the Person". As stated, this approach applies to those with disabilities who are currently unneccessarily institutionalized. For example Misericordia provides excellent services to many who are severely handicapped, while Clearbrook provides excellent services to those who can live in different housing settings, including group homes. I also know that there is a long waiting list to get into Misericordia. My friend has been trying to get her daughter in for a few years now.

How would you increase opportunities for people with disabilities in Illinois to live in the most integrated settings?

I have served as a village trustee for 12 years. I have worked with the disability community and have seen the communities in the northwest suburbs support and advance group homes through our local zoning; through assistance with the park districts and community organizations. I want to increase the involvement with local government and organizations and support a requirement that Illinois advance funding back to these organizations.

How will you address the shortage of community direct care attendants in Illinois?

I would work hard to increase funding for direct care attendants in Illinois. The State is not doing its share to provide assistance through the State or by grants to organizations to upgrade the status of these workers to where they rightfully belong. The attendants should be considered to be professionals.

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?

I would start off by making funding a priority in the state budget to fund integrated housing. Funding for housing is necessary. I would then work with our local communities, be it our municipalities and not-for-profit organizations to integrate the housing throughout the community.

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?

Employment is the key. Again, I would make the State prioritize by emphasizing State services for people with disabilities. I would expand relationships with the community colleges and strive to develop very specific outreach education and job placements at the local level. I wouls set up a local government program to reach private businesses in order to expand employment.

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?

I have just concluded the school year as a public school teacher. I taught physical education in a northwest suburban school district. I personally have worked with the administration to advance the interest of special needs children. As a state legislator, I would stress that the State Board carefully monitor the implementation of all state laws; work hand-in-hand with the local school boards and the parents to see that each child is achieving his potential in the classroom and improve, where necessary, services for the child.

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?

Quality health care, I believe, is lacking for many of those in our disabled community. Many are dependent on Medicaid for services. Medicaid providers are limited due to a poor payment schedule and large arrearages in payment. I want to expand services through organizations such as Access to Care so that they can assist Medicaid patients. I want greater access of clinics. In particular, I researched the state program, Comprehensive Health Insurance Program, which provides coverage where individuals cannot obtain private insurance. That program does include people with disabilities. I want to explore if the program can grant greater coverage to special needs individuals.

How would you improve the quality of health and rehabilitation services provided to veterans with disabilities in Illinois?

The federal government must assume greater responsibility to care for our veterans. On the State level, the state should, through its existing services, reach out to all veteran organizations and seek to establish greater local programs to address services that are unique to each community.

As a member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary Post 9284, I have worked to serve needs at our veterans' hospitals and will continue to work to further services to our veterans. We owe them so much.

TRANSPORTATION

What would you do to expand access to affordable, accessible transportation for people with disabilities in Illinois, especially in rural areas?

I believe some positive changes are being made in this field. In my area of the northwest suburbs, I would work with the townships to expand door to door service. I would continue to involve PACE, as we already do, to innovate more transportation services and use local municipal conferences, such as the Northwest Municipal Conference, to expand services between municipal boundaries. We have also introduced door to door taxi service at reduced rates for our disabled residents.

In rural areas, I would tie in any regional transportation services to involve counties. Because the population would be spread out, I would seek to use a dial-in program for services to medical facilities and then seek to expand the get businesses to use "pooling" for workers. The federal government must provide additional funding.

VOTING

What steps would you take to ensure that voters with disabilities in Illinois are able to vote privately and independently?

I researched this issue and read an article: "Disabilities Guidebook: Accessibility of Voting Facilities and Other Voting Rights." It is clear that the disabled and the elderly do have the right to private voting and often use absentee voting as well as the ability to personally vote, either with assistance or a voting system that provides a stylus, if needed.

Rights have been established under the law, for accessibility, nursing home, and assistance in voting. However, they must be enforced and the disabled person must be made aware of these rights. I would work to enhance knowledge of a person's voting rights.