Equip for Equality is a Chicago-based non-profit that works to protect the rights of Illinois residents with disabilities. The group provides legal services, training and assistance with self-advocacy while monitoring public policies.

On Aug. 3, Rachel Weisberg, a lawyer who works for the group and also manages the Illinois ADA project, came to the Joliet Job Corps Center to teach a group of students how to request accommodations for their disabilities while in the work place. She explained their legal rights to them, of-ten ending a portion of her discussion with a short quiz to see if the students understood.

There were many kinds of accommodations, many of them simple things that easily could be done, Ms. Weisberg said. Employees could request a break if they needed a short rest from the ri

Rachel Weisberg of Equip for Equality (left) talks to students at the Joliet Job Corps Center.

gors of the job. Or they could ask for a leave so that they could see a doctor.

She also led the students through a role-playing exercise, asking them to form pairs and take turns being the supervisor on the job and the employee who need an accommodating for a disability.

Ms. Weisberg also explained the idea of “person-first language,” a preferred way to dis-cuss disabilities. Instead of saying someone is “wheelchair bound,” Ms. Weisberg noted that “using a wheelchair” might be a more polite way to mention someone’s disability.