When the paperwork feels confusing and the acronyms start running together, you deserve someone who can slow it down and explain what it all means. Southern Illinois Pathways offers free, plain-language workshops for families, students, young adults, and individuals with disabilities across Metro East Illinois. We help make disability rights, IEPs, mental health supports, local services, and self-advocacy easier to understand.
To strengthen the capacity of families navigating special needs systems in the Metro East region by providing community education, resource navigation, and family advocacy within a framework centered on art, creativity, and cultural connection.
Individuals with disabilities, their families, and communities are educated on disabilities and the laws that protect them, taught how to advocate for acceptance, and able to express themselves through advocacy.
Families across Metro East Illinois deserve clear answers about disability assessments, IEP rights, and the supports their children are entitled to. Right now, too many families are driving to Chicago to get them.
The U.S. Department of Education confirmed that students with disabilities remain overrepresented in school discipline and underrepresented in advanced academics. Knowledge of rights changes that.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
Four sessions in each county, held on Saturday mornings at public libraries. We break down disability rights, IEPs, and services in plain language. No jargon, no legal degree required. Each series builds the full picture: from understanding eligibility to navigating IEPs to accessing services beyond the school day.
Every session is built around the real barriers families face. No registration fees, no jargon, no language gap, no income test.
No registration fees. No income requirements. Open to every family in Metro East Illinois.
Coffee, snacks, and a welcoming space to learn alongside other families.
Sessions delivered in both languages so every family can follow and ask questions.
Sessions held in trusted community spaces families already know and use.
Whether you are just starting to ask questions or you have been navigating systems for years, these sessions meet you where you are.
Families who suspect their child may have a disability and are looking for next steps and testing locations.
Families of newly diagnosed children learning what support is available.
Parents and guardians navigating eligibility, IEPs, and school services for the first time.
Families who have had an IEP for years but still have unanswered questions.
Any parent or guardian who needs help connecting with local providers and funding resources.
Students 14.5 and older, young adults, and adults with disabilities ready to learn how to advocate for themselves.
Southern Illinois Pathways is built on collaboration. Families navigating disability, special education, mental health, and advocacy systems need clear information, trusted resources, and supportive community connections.
We are grateful for the organizations, resource partners, educators, advocates, and community leaders who help strengthen this work through training, shared resources, outreach, technical assistance, and family-centered support.
Organizations that provide education, training, or professional resources that help inform our family workshops and community programming.
Organizations helping families, educators, and communities better understand disability rights, inclusion, accessibility, and self-advocacy.
Organizations that connect creativity, access, and inclusive community engagement.
Organizations helping families access practical tools, information, and support as they navigate local and statewide systems.
A curated set of trusted resources for Metro East families navigating disability, mental health, and special education systems. If you are in immediate crisis, call or text 988.
Official directory from the St. Clair County Mental Health Board. Crisis lines, mental health providers, substance use services, and community supports. Updated regularly.
View PDF DirectoryComprehensive 2024-2025 directory from Madison County. Covers behavioral health, disability services, family supports, housing, food, and crisis response across the county.
View PDF DirectoryFree, confidential support for anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Available 24/7 by call or text. Spanish-language and ASL services available.
Call or Text 988Illinois's federally-designated Parent Training and Information Center. Free guidance on IEPs, 504 plans, and special education rights. Also trains Educational Surrogate Parents statewide.
Visit Family MattersThe official source for special education in Illinois. IEP procedures, rights of parents and guardians, dispute resolution, and current state guidance for families and educators.
Visit ISBE Special EdFree, confidential resource navigation for housing, food, utilities, healthcare, childcare, mental health, and more. Available 24/7 by phone or text. Serves all Illinois counties.
Call or Text 211You do not have to represent an organization to support this work. Volunteers, educators, parents, guardians, grandparents, self-advocates, and community members are welcome.
Bring a Pathways workshop to your community. We partner with libraries, churches, community centers, schools, and clinics to bring free disability rights education directly to the families they serve.
Inquire About HostingHelp families feel welcomed and supported on workshop days. Roles include registration, refreshments, resource tables, setup, and outreach. No experience required, training provided.
Sign Up to VolunteerTrain through Family Matters PTI Center to advocate for children in foster care or wards of the state who need someone to represent them in special education decisions. Statewide volunteer opportunity. Training is free.
Sign Up Through Family MattersWe are seeking partners who serve families navigating disability, mental health, special education, or arts-based community work in Metro East Illinois. If your organization aligns with this mission, we welcome a conversation.
Partnership may include sharing resources at workshops, providing training, hosting a session, sponsoring family materials, attending resource tables, or collaborating on future programs. Schools, libraries, faith communities, clinics, and nonprofits are all welcomed.
Submit Partner InterestEvery dollar funds free workshops, refreshments, and resource materials for Metro East families. Donations are processed securely through Stripe and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Give Through StripeSouthern Illinois Pathways is a flagship program of SIP Arts Foundation, Inc., an Illinois nonprofit corporation organized to amplify underrepresented voices through arts, disability advocacy, and education.
The Foundation builds on nearly two decades of community work supporting families navigating disability, special education, and mental health systems across Metro East Illinois. Pathways is one of several programs that carry that mission forward.
Visit SIP Arts Foundation