The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) and the Access to Justice Division of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) have selected 26 recipients for the 2026 Disability Access Grant. The grants are intended to support projects that improve accessibility and reduce barriers for people with disabilities in Illinois courts.
The Disability Access Grant is designed to help courts address accessibility challenges and ensure compliance with legal requirements, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA), and the Illinois Supreme Court Policy on Access for People with Disabilities.
According to the ATJ Commission, “Illinois Courts have made significant efforts to comply with ADA, IHRA, and the Policy. The ATJ Commission offers the Disability Access Grant to help promote accessibility initiatives and kick-start new projects to ensure compliance and further enhance access to the Illinois court system for people with disabilities.”
The grants will fund a range of activities such as structural modifications in courthouses, acquisition of accessibility aids, improved signage, communication technology upgrades, and initiatives that gather feedback from court users with disabilities.
This year’s grant recipients include various judicial circuits and county courts across Illinois:
– Eighth Judicial Circuit, Adams County
– Third Judicial Circuit, Bond County
– Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Carroll County
– Eighth Judicial Circuit, Cass County
– The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
– Cook County Circuit Court
– Cook County Law Office of the Public Defender
– Second Judicial Circuit, Hamilton County
– Ninth Judicial Circuit, Henderson County
– Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, Henry County
– Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Jo Daviess County
– Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Lake County
– Second Judicial Circuit, Lawrence County
– Third Judicial Circuit, Madison County
– Fourth Judicial Circuit, Marion County
– Eighth Judicial Circuit, Mason County
– Eighth Judicial Circuit, Menard County
– Twenty-fourth Judicial Circuit, Perry County
– First Judicial Circuit, Pulaski County
– Twenty-fourth Judicial Circuit
– First Judicial Circuit, Saline County
– Fourth Judicial Circuit
– Fifteenth Judicial Circuit
– Tenth Judicial Circuit, Tazewell County
– Third District Appellate Court of Illinois
– First Judicial Circuit, Williamson County
A statement from the ATJ Commission said: “The ATJ Commission is thrilled to announce this year’s cohort of grantees and looks forward to following these transformative projects as they promote equal access to court for people with disabilities across Illinois.”
For more information about the grant program or its recipients, contact August Hieber at 312‑793‑3858 or ahieber@illinoiscourts.gov.
