Illinois State Treasurer Honors National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Vocational training is what it’s all about.

To celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs visited several disability service organizations in October, including Hope Vocational Academy and Sparc, both in the Springfield, IL area.  While there learned about their respective vocational training programs and the organizations’ support services for people with disabilities. The Treasurer spoke about the value of working and the advantages of being able to save money and protect federal benefits with an IL ABLE Account.

Special Olympics Illinois & IL ABLE partner to help families

This Athlete and Global Messenger is Building Physical & Financial Wellness On and Off the Field

When 21-year-old Special Olympics Illinois (SOILL) Global Messenger Michael Williams collaborated on an Autism Awareness Month video, he was filling pandemic time to build communications skills while waiting to return to in-person SOILL competition. “Michael is not as interested in the virtual activities, so he is looking forward to entering more Special Olympics events in-person,” said Dawn Williams, Michael’s mom, and coach of several of Michael’s teams.

Give the gift of savings to an IL ABLE Account Owner with Ugift® this holiday season

Ugift® is an easy-to-use, no-cost way to make a meaningful holiday gift to a loved one with a disability. How does it work?

First, the IL ABLE Account Owner (person with the disability) or the Authorized Individual (an adult who is authorized to transact on the account) logs into their IL ABLE account and accesses their unique Ugift® code.

Next, they share that code with friends, family or others who want to make a contribution to the account.

Then, the gift giver visits UgiftABLE.com and inputs the code in order to make a direct contribution to the IL ABLE Account Owner’s account.

Do You Own an ABLE Account in Another State?

Consider Rolling it Over to IL ABLE.  Here’s Why.

If you live in Illinois and opened an ABLE account for yourself or a loved one in another state’s ABLE plan, you may be missing out on some of the benefits offered by IL ABLE.  For example, if you are an Illinois taxpayer and you contribute to any IL ABLE account, you may be able to take a state income tax deduction.  Learn more here.

What Can You Do With Your Illinois ABLE Account?

Invest in your future and save up to $100,000 without losing your SSI monthly benefits.  With Illinois ABLE, you can save and invest your own money.  You can pay for the expenses that are part of living with a disability.  That includes things like taking lessons to learn a new skill. If you work, you can save money from your job without worrying about the $2000 asset limit.  Most importantly, with Illinois ABLE you can gain some control and independence for your life!  For more information, or to enroll, visit IllinoisABLE.com.