ABOUT US

What is Illinois Imagines Chicago?

Illinois Imagines Chicago's vision is to ensure that all survivors of sexual violence who have disabilities will have access to high quality, integrated support that is person-centered and responsive to the unique needs of each individual.  We do this through collaborations between disability service providers, people with disabilities (self-advocates) and rape crisis center workers. We identify and address the obstacles that people with disabilities face and work to dismantle those barriers. Illinois Imagines Chicago develops and improves partnerships through the agencies who often work with sexual assault survivors and people with disabilities. We focus on these issues primarily through education and training. We also create community based events to produce a safer space for disclosing sexual violence for people with disabilities.

Why Illinois Imagines Chicago?

Women with disabilities experience higher rates of sexual violence than women without disabilities. Women with disabilities also experience increased severity of violence, multiple forms of violence, including disability-targeted violence and experience the violence for longer periods of time. If a person reports a sexual assault they may experience barriers to service, Illinois Imagines strives to support survivors in navigating through those challenges. Dependence on the perpetrator for personal assistance can add to the cost and complexity of the survivor/perpetrator relationship.

Who is Illinois Imagines Chicago?

Illinois Imagines is a statewide grant-funded project to better the response to people with disabilities who experience sexual violence. Our Chicago faction began in January 2011. We are a group of disability service providers, people with disabilities and rape crisis center workers committed to changing the response to people who experience sexual violence through awareness-raising, education and community building.