How did you learn or become involved in CDEL? The Disability & Law Committee of the Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association found a need and successfully proposed the Legal Clinic for the Disabled (LCD) to the Board of Managers of the CBA. We incorporated LCD in October of 1982. The President and Founder of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Dr. Henry Betts, generously donated some of their office space and resources for LCD to use. With that help, we successfully raised funds, recruited personnel, and opened our doors in March 1984.
Describe how you supported CDEL over the years. I have been involved with LCD and then CDEL since its inception. I have been on the board of directors from the start and have served in every board officer capacity. Including as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, President, and Chairman, when we had one.
There are lots of non-profits, why do you support CDEL? Like anything, there have been good times and challenging times, but I believe CDEL is in the best situation we have ever been in. CDEL has never had a better staff, board of directors, or fundraising plan. There are so many good people at CDEL doing so many good things.
What is it about CDEL that inspires you to continue to show your support? It is the gratitude that we get from the clientele that we serve and seeing the successes from the cases we have worked on. LCD was quite instrumental in a monumental case against the Chicago Cubs as well as getting curb cuts put in sidewalks and streets to increase accessibility for people in wheelchairs.
