HAWTHORN WOODS, Ill. (WAND) - Senator Dan McConchie announced his resignation Monday morning, while also launching a policy organization advocating on behalf of people with disabilities.
Serving the 26th Senate District of Illinois for nearly nine years, State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) announced his resignation from the Illinois State Senate, effective February 2, 2025.
McConchie uses a wheelchair himself.
McConchie said, 'With the goal of ensuring everyone has the freedom to live..." he has launched a new advocacy organization seeking to improve accessibility for the disabled nationwide.
The Accessibility Policy Institute, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to improving accessibility for the disabled at every level. It supports policies that remove barriers.
“Even now, more than 30 years after the passage of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), disabled Americans frequently experience barriers in everyday life,” said Dan McConchie, CEO. “And while our society recognizes the fundamental equality of every human being, many individuals cannot fully enjoy their lives as long as there are barriers that inhibit participation in aspects of community life.”
The core initiatives at the Accessibility Policy Institute will reflect a “freedom to live” motto.
McConchie said the Accessibility Policy Institute recognizes that not all improvements to accessibility can or should happen through public policy. So, the organization will also spearhead “Beyond the ADA" to promote voluntary solutions by working with private companies and organizations to innovate their products and services to maximize disabled accessibility beyond what the law requires.
“Working to popularize and normalize an expanded accessibility attitude both in the corporate world as well as amongst the public at large will be key to enacting meaningful change,” said McConchie. “Through our advocacy efforts, we believe that we can play a large role in helping to expand accessibility for the disabled, and in the end, help create greater communities throughout the country.”
You can learn more about the Accessibility Policy Institute by click here.
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