Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD)

Apply for a DCASE CityArts grant to support your arts and culture organization by Wednesday, June 3 at 12 PM!

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) strives to provide arts programming in all 77 neighborhoods. To make this happen, the CityArts Program offers grant support to Chicago arts and culture nonprofits of all sizes and artistic disciplines.

To receive a grant, your organization must be a 501(c)(3) organization in Chicago, incorporated in the state of Illinois, and primarily serving Chicago residents with arts and culture activities or services.

Read about the requirements and apply for a grant at ChicagoCulturalGrants.org.

Join MOPD, the Chicago Department of Housing, and the Cook County Assessor's Office for our Housing Access and Inclusion Fair! On Wednesday, June 3 from 1 PM to 4 PM at Central West Community Center (2102 W Ogden Ave), people with disabilities and older adults can learn about property tax exemptions, housing protections, home modifications, and other essential city services.

All are welcome. Sign up for the Housing Access and Inclusion fair today! https://bit.ly/2026WelcomeHome

ASL and Spanish interpretation provided. Wayfinding is also available. To request additional access, please contact [email protected] or call 312-744-3653.

Whether commuting by bus, train, or both, you rely on the CTA. Now, the Chicago Transit Authority is relying on you.

Riders with disabilities are invited to share their experience with Chicago’s public transit system. Your comments will help the CTA make positive changes to the services we all need. Fill out the CTA survey by Friday, June 5: www.research.net/r/MoPDCTA. Participants can earn a chance to win up to $500 in prizes!

This year, we celebrated Global Accessibility Awareness Day with our disability community. Together, we learned that digital accessibility is for everyone.

During our event, panelists Dr. “Techy” Tina Gonzales Childress, T.J. Gordon, and Sena Ozcan, and moderators Yare Túa and Natasha Caudill, discussed the power of access. The message was clear: If we don’t know what we need, others will decide for us.

We hoped that attendees would leave our event feeling empowered to advocate for their access needs. Representatives from Apple helped make this hope a reality. They showed us how to use built-in accessibility features on Apple devices, like Live Captions, Voice Over, and Vocal Shortcuts.

Thank you to representatives from Apple for teaching us about accessible devices, to Commissioner Rachel Arfa for welcoming attendees, to Chief Information Officer Nick Lucius for uplifting our message on digital access, and to Rosati's Pizza and Eli's Cheesecake Company for providing food!

Deadline: Friday, May 29, 2026.

Partner Job: The Chicago Department of Technology and Innovation (DTI) is hiring a Digital Accessibility Specialist.

The Digital Accessibility Specialist ensures that people with disabilities can access the City of Chicago’s digital information and resources. The Specialist is assigned to the City’s Design Information Technology program, which works to simplify the design and makeup of hardware, software, and user interfaces. DTI prefers candidates with a bachelor’s degree and at least two years of experience in accessibility design or compliance.

Apply by May 29 at this link: https://chicago.taleo.net/careersection/100/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=416797

Partner Job: The Chicago Department of Technology and Innovation (DTI) is hiring a Digital Accessibility Specialist.

The Digital Accessibility Specialist ensures that people with disabilities can access the City of Chicago’s digital information and resources. The Specialist is assigned to the City’s Design Information Technology program, which works to simplify the design and makeup of hardware, software, and user interfaces. DTI prefers candidates with a bachelor’s degree and at least two years of experience in accessibility design or compliance.

Apply by May 29 at this link: https://chicago.taleo.net/careersection/100/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=416797

This Thursday! Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day with MOPD on May 21 from 3 PM to 7 PM at Central West Community Center (2102 W Ogden Ave). Learn about disability and technology from our expert panelists. Get hands-on experience from representatives from Apple. Enjoy free food, free resource bags, selfie walls, and more!

Sign up now:

Fill | Global Accessibility Awareness Day: Registration Form Join the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) and Apple on Thursday, May 21 for Global Accessibility Awareness Day! This free event will take place at Central West Community Center (2102 W Ogden Ave) from 3 PM to 7 PM. Dinner provided. Central West Community Center is an accessible...

Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, and environments that are available to and usable by everyone.
Digital accessibility refers to the design of – you guessed it – digital products, devices, services, and environments that are available to and usable by everyone.

MOPD strives to make Chicago the most accessible and inclusive city in the world, and that includes digital accessibility! Come celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day with us on May 21 to learn more about digital accessibility, both in our city and on our devices.

Together, MOPD and representatives from Apple will give you the tools you need to conquer the digital world. Join us on Thursday, May 21 from 3 PM to 7 PM at Central West Community Center (2102 W Ogden Ave). Free food and free resource bags provided!
Let’s learn about digital accessibility together. Sign up today! http://chi.gov/accessibilityday

Blast off! On June 13, the Chicago Public Library will host an all-ages gaming convention, Gamer’s Universe!

Located at Harold Washington Library (400 S State St), Gamer’s Universe offers a free, safe, and inclusive event for all Chicagoans. Register for the Cosplay Contest, enter the Mario Kart Tournament, or join the K-Pop Random Dance Party! Check out the Gamer’s Schedule at 11 AM – 4 PM on the CPL website.

Wayfinding assistance provided. ASL interpretation is available during the Cosplay Contest from 2:30 PM – 3 PM in the Auditorium, located on the lower level. To request additional access, use the Contact Us button on the Gamer’s Universe website or email [email protected].

Make sure your summer plans include a trip to Gamer’s Universe. Sign up for this free event today! 🚀

Have you ever turned on captions while watching a video? Or used your voice to write a text? Did you know that these are accessibility features?

Accessibility features included in apps, programs, and settings provide people with disabilities access to products and services. They’re often available to everyone, but many people don’t know how to find them.

For Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 21, you can try out accessibility features on Apple devices. Representatives from Apple can also teach you how to improve accessibility on your own device. We hope you discover accessibility tools that empower you to get more done and have more fun.

Sign up to join us on 5/21 from 3 to 7 PM: https://bit.ly/gaad2026. Free food and free resource bags provided!

Fill | Global Accessibility Awareness Day: Registration Form Join the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) and Apple on Thursday, May 21 for Global Accessibility Awareness Day! This free event will take place at Central West Community Center (2102 W Ogden Ave) from 3 PM to 7 PM. Dinner provided. Central West Community Center is an accessible...