The city of chicago mayors office for people with disabilities (MOPD) proposes the serving disabled victims of gun and community violence project

The City of Chicago's Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) received a $350,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice under the Congressionally Recommended Awards program (CFDA 16.753) to develop a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary program serving individuals who acquire disabilities as a result of gun and community violence in the city. The project aims to catalog organizations serving these victims, conduct accessibility assessments, provide training to improve accessibility and service provider connections, and facilitate peer support for disabled victims to access resources. This initiative is part of MOPD's broader efforts to ensure equal access and inclusion for people with disabilities in Chicago, which also includes a $425,000 cooperative agreement from the Office on Violence Against Women to establish multidisciplinary collaborations and enhance services for individuals with disabilities who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

The purpose is to develop a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary program serving individuals who acquire disabilities as a result of gun and community violence in the city of chicago. MOPD will create an inventory of all organizations that serve victims of gun and community violence, along with services provided. Once all entities are identified, MOPD will work with each entity on a self-audit on accessibility to assess accessibility provided by the organization to clients served and use this data to determine any deficits in accessibility and identify training needs. MOPD will bring together all entities for training topics selected based on data and knowledge gaps, and to build connections among organizations and provide any technical assistance as needed. MOPD will also bring together individuals who acquire disability as a result of gun and community violence so they can connect and share resources and services. Intended beneficiaries are individuals who acquire disabilities, as a result of gun and community violence, who live or are connected to the city of chicago. Expected outcomes are that individuals who become disabled can access services offered through the city of chicago and entities, and with any accessibility needs provided, so that they can continue to live independently and thrive.