April 12, 2005

Dear Action Alert Member,

Your call is needed! Please contact your representative in the Illinois House and urge him/her to support House Bill 1000 when it is called for a vote in the Illinois House as early as this week.

House Bill 1000 extends important protections against discrimination for the disabled in our State. Under current state law, a dentist can refuse to treat a patient that is blind, and the victim will have no remedy under state law. House Bill 1000 adopts the definition of "public accommodations " contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act. This critical definition provides victims of discrimination a more accessible remedy under state law.

House Bill 1000 addresses a problem created because courts have narrowly interpreted the definition of public accommodations so it excludes a number of important businesses and services. As a result, Illinois citizens are vulnerable to discrimination by businesses and service providers that should be open to all persons, regardless of any disability. For example, under Illinois law, dentists, doctors, medical clinics, psychologists, social workers, therapists, lawyers, accountants and insurance companies all can discriminate against persons based upon their disabilities. House Bill 1000 protects against such discrimination.

You can read more about the House Bill 1000 on our website at http://www.aclu-il.org/legislative/alerts/hb1000.pdf. Contact your state representative and urge him/her to back House Bill 1000 when it is considered in the full House of Representative. If you are unsure who your state representative is, you can find out by going to http://www.elections.state.il.us/dls/pages/DLSAddresscrit.asp.