About Our Process

In 2022, Community Choices, a local non-profit that supports individuals with developmental disabilities to pursue independence, opportunity and choice through quality, self-directed supports, created a weekly forum for its members to discuss what accessibility means to them. The team first referenced the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. Members, however, expressed that true accessibility is a much broader concept that includes a range of additional features, such as the way people with disabilities are treated by employees, available sensory information, and cognitive access. Through conversations with disabled community members, Community Choices staff, and faculty from the Special Education Department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the group spent over a year developing the “Accessible Champaign Checklist.” The checklist outlines the physical, sensory, cognitive and accommodation-ready characteristics of businesses.  

Students taking education classes at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign then used this checklist to evaluate the accessibility of businesses in Champaign County. In partnership with the College of Education at UIUC, Community Choices plans to continue to expand this project, evaluate businesses and ensure that Champaign County is a leader in accessibility.  

Searching the Directory

Search hotels, shops, restaurants and attractions below by clicking "Show All: Accessible CU" and selecting the category you wish to search. Use the "Advanced Search" to the right of the search button to select from a variety of accessible needs to get exactly the information needed to make your visit enjoyable.