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| | SR2171 | | LRB100 24189 ALS 43386 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to |
| 3 | | learn of the death of Ann Ford, who passed away on September |
| 4 | | 23, 2018; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Ann Ford was born to Bill and Mary Ford on July |
| 6 | | 26, 1941; a self-advocate who contracted polio at age five, she |
| 7 | | overcame tremendous personal adversity and, drawing on |
| 8 | | firsthand experience, encouraged others to pursue their goals |
| 9 | | no matter the obstacle; she earned a degree from Roosevelt |
| 10 | | University in Chicago; and
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| 11 | | WHEREAS, Ann Ford dedicated her career to empowering people |
| 12 | | with disabilities to become full participants in society; she |
| 13 | | began working for the National Paraplegia Foundation in Chicago |
| 14 | | in 1967; in 1978, she moved to Massachusetts to serve the new |
| 15 | | England Spinal Cord Injury Association; she then returned to |
| 16 | | Illinois, where she was the first director for two Centers for |
| 17 | | Independent Living; in 1985, she launched and led the |
| 18 | | Peoria-based Central Illinois CIL; in 1991, she started the |
| 19 | | DuPage CIL in Glen Ellyn; she served statewide as the first |
| 20 | | Executive Director of Illinois' Network of Centers for |
| 21 | | Independent Living from 1999 until 2017; and
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| 22 | | WHEREAS, Ann Ford was instrumental in efforts to pass and |
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| | SR2171 | - 2 - | LRB100 24189 ALS 43386 r |
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| 1 | | demand compliance with the ADA; she fought against harsh rules |
| 2 | | that harmed home caregivers, successfully lobbied to |
| 3 | | de-institutionalize disabled adults, and oversaw a drive to |
| 4 | | secure decent health insurance for people with disabilities; |
| 5 | | her expertise was featured in Lives Worth Living, a 2011 |
| 6 | | documentary on the history of disability rights in America; she |
| 7 | | earned the Justin Dart Distinguished Citizen Award from the |
| 8 | | Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities and Marianjoy's |
| 9 | | Courage Award for Distinguished contributions on behalf of |
| 10 | | people with disabilities; and
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| 11 | | WHEREAS, Ann Ford was a devoted mother, grandmother, and |
| 12 | | great-grandmother and a loving, caring sister; and
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| 13 | | WHEREAS, Ann Ford was preceded in death by her parents and |
| 14 | | her brothers, Bill and John Ford; and
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| 15 | | WHEREAS, Ann Ford is survived by her daughter, Erin Ford; |
| 16 | | her grandson, Andrew (Arianna) Masters; her great-grandson, |
| 17 | | Jack; her sisters, Judy (Jim) Lynch and Shea Ford; therefore, |
| 18 | | be it
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| 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL |
| 20 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
| 21 | | Ann Ford and extend our sincere condolences to her family, |
| 22 | | friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further
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