Section 755.405  Advisory Council

An Advisory Council composed of seven members who are representatives of persons with disabilities shall function as an organ for the input of individuals with disabilities to ITAP.

a)         For the purpose of selecting representatives to the Advisory Council, the Commission shall divide the State into the following five districts:

1)         District 1: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Iroquois, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry, Putnam, and Will Counties;

2)         District 2: Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Mercer, Ogle, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago Counties;

3)         District 3: Bureau, Champaign, DeWitt, Ford, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, Livingston, Logan, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McLean, Peoria, Piatt, Stark, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren, and Woodford Counties;

4)         District 4: Adams, Brown, Cass, Christian, Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Greene, Macon, Macoupin, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, and Shelby Counties; and

5)         District 5: Alexander, Bond, Calhoun, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, St. Clair, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, and Williamson Counties.

b)         The Advisory Council shall be made up of seven members.

1)         Three members shall be selected from District 1;

2)         One member shall be selected from each of the four remaining districts; and

3)         The Advisory Council members shall be elected to staggered terms of three years with an election being held annually.

c)         In each district, nominations for seats on the Advisory Council shall be solicited by ITAC. The sitting Advisory Council shall identify appropriate local organizations, including, but not limited to, all selection centers, local chapters of the Illinois Association for the Deaf, the Association for Late-Deafened Adults, and Self Help for Hard of Hearing. Each nomination shall be accompanied by a resume of the nominee. Any nominee who is affiliated with or otherwise acts in concert with an owner or vendor of equipment or services promoted for use by persons with disability, or whose relationship with an owner or vendor could give rise to a conflict of interest, shall be disqualified.

d)         Those local organizations identified in subsection (c) shall be entitled to vote for the Advisory Council members representing that district.

e)         If no nominations are received for a seat in any district, that seat shall become an at-large seat, and the organizations specified in subsection (c) shall submit nominations, accompanied by resumes of the nominee, without regard to the residence of the nominee. All the local organizations identified in subsection (c) shall be entitled to vote for at-large seats.

f)         The seven members of the Advisory Council shall elect a chairperson.

(Source:  Amended at 41 Ill. Reg. 5401, effective May 5, 2017)