Announcement, Press Release |
Cook County court documents should be more accessible this year, thanks to a $17,000 Disability Accessibility Improvement grant awarded by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice.
The funds, which were made available last week, will allow the court to partner with local advocacy and accessibility organizations to create PDF documents that are compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard) and provide training for court staff regarding mental health situations and skills for better communication with people who may have mental health concerns.
“These improvements will afford greater dignity and respect by vastly improving access to equal justice for people with any kind of disability,” said Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans. “This funding will also provide for the creation of a mental health training series to keep our personnel up to date.”
The mental health training portion will focus on providing court personnel, including judges and clerks, basic skills to identify, address and resolve issues faced by court participants with mental health disabilities, thereby facilitating access and equality to the court system for all.
The Illinois Supreme Court received 54 applications, totaling more than $6 million in requests for funding.
“We are extremely grateful that the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Justice’s Disability Accessibility Grant Selection Subcommittee recognized our needs and is funding these efforts.” Judge Evans said.
The ATJ Commission’s Disability Access Committee was formed in 2022 and is charged with promoting “equal access to the court system for people with disabilities by partnering with the disability community and by engaging all stakeholders, from the community to the courtroom, to identify and address barriers to the court and legal process.”
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