How can you bolster your IL ABLE Account?
April is Your ABLE to Save Month – a great time to grow your IL ABLE Account and build your financial awareness and wellness. Here are four actions you can take to make the most of ABLE to Save Month:
ABLE eligibility expands January 1, 2026!
Is Your Corporate Disability Employee Resource Group Ready?
If the company you work for has a disability business or employee resource group, members should know about the coming ABLE eligibility expansion. That’s because many employees acquired a disability before age 46 (not before age 26, the current eligibility criteria) and they may soon be eligible to open a tax-advantaged ABLE account.
The Americans with Disabilities Act Turns 35
The Colors of Disability Pride
Disability Pride Month is observed each July and commemorates the signing of the landmark civil rights law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which turns 35 this year! It is a time to honor the rich and diverse history, experiences, and achievements of people with disabilities here in Illinois and across the country. One way to show your pride is to fly or display the Disability Pride flag!
Save the Date! August 14 is National ABLE Savings Day
The 104th General Assembly of the State of Illinois has declared August 14, 2025, as Illinois ABLE Savings Day! Mark your calendars to open, contribute to, or tell someone about IL ABLE Accounts on August 14. Read the full Resolution.
What can you do to celebrate Illinois ABLE Savings Day?
Read More “Save the Date! August 14 is National ABLE Savings Day”
Disability Advocate and IL ABLE Account Owner Creates Social Impact through Art
Spotlight on Reveca Torres: Artist and Community Builder
IL ABLE Account Owner Reveca Torres wears many hats; she is a disability advocate, artist, filmmaker, and the founder and Executive Director of Backbones – a nonprofit dedicated to helping people with spinal cord injuries or disease connect with their communities.
In March, Reveca received an award for Outstanding Achievements in Arts and Humanities from Illinois State Treasurer Frerichs in honor of Women’s History Month. accessABLE News & Updates editors connected with Reveca recently to learn more about her work and how her IL ABLE Account helps to support her efforts.
Read More “Disability Advocate and IL ABLE Account Owner Creates Social Impact through Art”
ABLE Age Adjustment Act Passed!
Higher eligibility age limit takes effect in 2026
Since Congress passed the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act in 2014, the ABLE community has worked tirelessly to pass legislation to increase the age of eligibility criteria to own an ABLE account from disability onset before age 26 to before age 46.
Supported by legislative champions in Congress, disability advocates and ABLE programs across the country, the ABLE Age Adjustment Act made it across the finish-line on December 29, 2023, when President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 [H.R. 2617], which included the ABLE Age Adjustment Act.
Celebrate the Achievements of People with Disabilities
July is Disability Pride Month and the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
July 26 marks the 32nd anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This landmark civil rights law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life. Since its passage in 1990, people with and without disabilities have turned the month of July into Disability Pride Month. Events, parades and celebrations take place across the country to honor the diversity and achievements of people with disabilities.
Read More “Celebrate the Achievements of People with Disabilities”
Save More with ABLE to Work
Learn how ABLE to Work can work for you
IL ABLE Accounts offer many benefits. ABLE to Work is one of them. Account Owners who work and earn money can contribute more than the annual $17, 000 contribution limit. That means more savings.
What Will You Do with Your Tax Refund?
Consider opening or contributing to an IL ABLE account
Tax refunds are always welcome, and they can give you a chance to think about the disability expenses you want to save for. Do you want to save the refund for an unexpected medical expense? Are you going to need new tires for the car that gets you to and from your job? Is there travel in your future? Whatever your financial dreams and goals contributing your tax refund to an IL ABLE account can help you reach them.
IL ABLE Account Owner is bound for the Special Olympics USA Games in Florida
Special Olympics Illinois athlete Brandy shares how her IL ABLE account helps her with her Special Olympics goals.
Brandy is an IL ABLE account owner AND a Special Olympics Illinois athlete and she is bound for the USA Games in Florida in June 2022. In our recent interview with Brandy, she shared how her IL ABLE account helps her with her Special Olympics goals.
accessABLE: IL ABLE is helping to make it possible for athletes like you to attend the USA Games next year. You are an IL ABLE Account Owner. How did you find out about IL ABLE?
Brandy: I found out about IL ABLE through my case manager (a person who supports Brandy).
accessABLE: When did you open your IL ABLE account?
Brandy: I have had an IL ABLE account since 2019.
accessABLE: Did you open the account yourself or did someone help you open the account?
Brandy: I was assisted by the case manager of my group home to open my IL ABLE account. (For our readers: many people with disabilities deposited their stimulus payments into their IL ABLE accounts to protect their benefits).
accessABLE: Tell us about your job and what you do.
Brandy: I work at Accolade Nursing Home. I am a dietary aid. I serve the residents, wash the dishes, and interact with the residents.
accessABLE: Do you deposit your paycheck into your IL ABLE account?
Brandy: No (For our readers: Did you know that you can deposit all or part of your paycheck into your IL ABLE account? And, IL ABLE Account Owners who work can contribute more each year to their IL ABLE accounts. Learn more!
accessABLE: How might you use the money you have saved in your IL ABLE account during the USA Games in Florida?
Brandy: I plan on buying souvenirs. I also want to experience as much as I can from the USA Games.
accessABLE: Tell us what it was like for you when State Treasurer Frerichs visited you at the Rec Center in Pontiac, IL? What were you thinking when you first saw him?
Brandy: I was so excited and I was thinking ‘What are all these cameras and people here for?’
accessABLE: How did it feel to hear the news from the Treasurer that you are going to represent Illinois in next June’s Special Olympics USA Games in Florida?
Brandy: It was exciting! I felt good inside to know I was going to the USA Games in Florida.
accessABLE: Being a Special Olympics Illinois athlete must keep you busy. What sports do you play?
Brandy: My sports are bowling and basketball. But I like all kinds of athletics.
accessABLE: What will you do to get ready for the USA Games in Florida next June?
Brandy: I will continue to train and strengthen with my coach for the USA games, I will continue to eat and drink as healthy as I can.
accessABLE: Have you ever been to Florida? What do you think it will be like to go to the USA Games?
Brandy: I have not been to Florida. I think it will be amazing and fun. I will meet a bunch of new people. Special Olympics has made me very proud of myself and my accomplishments.
accessABLE: Thank you, Brandy, for being an IL ABLE Account Owner and good luck at the USA Games!
In September, Treasurer Frerichs had the great pleasure of surprising Brandy with the news that she had been selected to represent Team Illinois at the Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida. You can watch the surprise [reveal here].
For our readers and Special Olympics families: Did you know that many of the costs of equipment, training and transportation can be covered by funds you save in your IL ABLE account? Just like Brandy, you or your athlete can open an IL ABLE account. Learn more about IL ABLE here. Find quick answers to your IL ABLE questions with IL ABLE FAQs