About Us

About EIW
Our Team
Affiliates

About EIW

We opened our doors back in January 1996 and over the years have provided a variety of services. These services have included educational advocacy; special needs trust planning and funding with families; self employment opportunities for persons with disabilities; technical assistance to schools/providers; staff training & development to schools/providers; grassroots network organizing; parent group support; business ownership and development for persons with disabilities; tutoring services; adult supports brokering; ABA, or applied behavior analysis therapy; and workshops/conferences on topics relating to individuals with disabilities, their families and professionals who are working toward the inclusion of people with disabilities into society.



Willie Garvin with advocate Mark Doyle
Our educational Advocacy Service continue to support several hundreds of families in Illinois and surrounding states. As advocates and former special education teachers, we know that it is difficult for parents to be an effective part of their child's educational team when they are not knowledgeable about the process. Very often the entire Special Education process is a mystery to parents therefore we continuously work to help unravel some of the mystery and help parents to acquire the tools needed to become empowered members of their child's educational team. We have had a long standing interest in advocacy in fact while employed by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities; Mark Doyle authored a white paper in the spring of 1994 titled “Inclusive Education Advocacy Issues” which has served as a blue print to many of the advocacy efforts promoted in the state of Illinois.   Click Here to learn More About Our Advocacy Service!  

Our Trust Planning and Funding Service address the very difficult and universal question: "Who will care for my family member when I am gone?"As professionals in the field, we have spent the better part of the last thirty-two years supporting children, adults, and family members of persons with a disability. Our experience has taught us how critical it is to plan for the financial security of a family member with a disability. A Supplemental Needs Trust (SNT). is a type of Trust that is designed to assist families in planning for and securing their loved ones’ financial future without jeopardizing their government benefits.

Supplemental Needs Trusts are not just designed to address who will care for my family member when you are gone, but also to provide resources to improve the quality of life of your family member with a disability while you are still alive.

Establishing a trust is an important first step; however, finding the resources to fund the trust is also critical. Therefore, Everyone Is Welcome, Inc. offers a Trust Planning and Funding service. This service is to work with families to navigate through the complexities of establishing and funding Supplemental Needs Trusts. The goal of this service is to educate and provide a way for families of individuals with disabilities and the elderly to have the financial resources necessary to care/support the current/future needs of their family member with a disability.  Click Here to learn More About Our Trust Service!  

In 2011 we expanded our services to include Self Employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Self-Employment offers many advantages over wage employment. For instance self employment offers individuals the opportunity to schedule their work day to accommodate their personal productivity levels, medical needs, goals and availability of necessary supports. Using a web based support system, we have created an opportunity for person with disabilities to earn income as independent contractors.   Click Here to learn More About Our Self Employment Service!  

Everyone Is Welcome, Inc. remains committed to providing Technical Assistance (TA) Services and Staff Training & Development to schools and providers of service as well. Our consulting team provides customized services based on the needs of each school/organization recognizing that each school community and organization is unique. We pride ourselves on the fact that we make a commitment to understand the needs of the culture of schools/organizations and provide consulting services that are customized to each schools/organizations particular need. As a result, Everyone Is Welcome, Inc. is constantly expanding the scope of our consulting services to be responsive to the variety of needs encountered in the schools/organizations we have had the opportunity to serve. We have supported both large and small school districts, in rural, suburban, and urban areas. In the Chicago Public Schools alone, we have supported as many as 68 schools in a school year. Because we support public schools efforts to include students with disabilities, we know first hand the challenges, resources, and what is possible in the schools setting. We know the importance of collaborative teams. 

Our team continues to be requested to speak on a variety of issues at national, state, local conferences, workshops and parent groups. Several publishing companies such as Paul Brooks continue to provide us with their materials and books for our use, review, and to preview with families and in the schools. Other companies such as Filemaker, Microsoft, and Educational Resources also have worked us in a similar capacity as well. We continue to work with major providers of adult services on special projects, staff development or consulting on employment, community living or other support issues.

Our team members remain active in professional and disability organizations and has served on various Boards of Directors such as TASH, Day One Network, and other Boards. Our company is known by and works with several nationally known leaders and experts in the field of disability. Our broad base of knowledge in the field makes us extremely qualified to be your advocate/consultant.

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Our Team


Our team consists of several consultants, advocates and support personnel. A major variable that makes us unique in the market place, is not only our contacts in the field, and our ability to provide top quality services by well trained and qualified individuals, but that over half of our team members are parents of individuals with disabilities. Our consultants not only address issues within the disability community, we live it daily.

 

Mark Doyle, MS Ed.
Owner/President
Educational Consultant,
Advocate, Trust Planner,                                                         Insurance & Real Estate Agent,
Everyone Is Welcome, Inc.
EIWelcome@comcast.net
Cell: 630.302.0970

 

Profile
Mark Doyle founded Everyone Is Welcome, Incorporated in January 1996. Mark is nationally known for his work in the area of community integration and inclusion. His experiences include: Program Specialist for Community Integration/Inclusion, Education and Transition for the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD); several administrative and program positions in community support agencies in Illinois; Behavioral/Training Specialist in Wisconsin; and individual/family advocacy throughout Illinois and surrounding states. Mark has supported both adults and children with disabilities in early education, education, transition to adult services, day/community employment/careers, residential/community living, leisure/recreation, and services for the aging.

Mark is highly recognized for his involvement in providing technical assistance to community agencies, schools and parent groups on the "how to" of making community integration and educational inclusion happen. Mark consults with schools and providers across Illinois that are working toward supporting students/adults with disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment/Community. Mark has successfully advocated on behalf of hundreds of students with disabilities over the past 22 years. Mark has personally mentored several advocates and has been a leader in promoting at strong statewide advocacy system. While employed by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, Mark authored a white paper in the spring of 1994 titled "Inclusive Education Advocacy Issues" which has served as a blue print to many of the advocacy efforts promoted in the state of Illinois.

Mark has served as Executive Director of Life's PLan Inc. a company that serves as corporate trustee of Supplemental Needs Trust in Illinois. Mark has also taught graduate level special education courses for several years at Northern Illinois University, National Louis University, and DePaul University. Mark has been a member of both International & Illinois TASH, has served as President and Past-President of Illinois TASH Board of Governors, and has served on several International TASH committee's. Mark has been a member of the ARC of Illinois. Mark has served 12 years on the Board of Directors and is past Board President of Day One Network which provides case coordination for Kane/Kendall counties in Illinois. Mark holds an Illinois Insurance License through the Department of Insurance and is a Illinois Licensed Real Estate Salesperson.

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Our Affiliates


Everyone Is Welcome, Inc. teaming with the following affiliates has strengthened our capacity to obtain expert advice; top quality state of the art information/resources; professional development opportunities for our consultants; and the ability to connect our families to these same experts and resources.


Matt Cohen
Monahan & Cohen
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
www.monahan-cohen.com
Matt has strengthened our team with the additional legal expertise. Matt Cohen is a Chicago-based attorney representing children with disabilities and their families in disputes with schools, government agencies, and insurance companies.  His staff also does estate plan for families with children with disabilities, guardianship work and representation of people denied accommodations in college and in other settings.  He and his staff have represented thousands of children with disabilities in Illinois and around the U.S.   Matt lectures regularly on special education issues throughout the United States.   He is the legal columnist for LDOnline, www.ldonline.org , and is a past president of the national CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) organization.  Matt teaches mental health law at Loyola University Law School and consults with many mental health organizations.  Matt can be reached at 312-419-0252, 312-961-4179, or by email at mdcspedlaw@earthlink.net.

 

Kirsten Izatt
The Estate Planning Law Group
 ATTORNEY & COUNSELOR AT LAW
www.TEPLG.com
Kirsten L. Izatt is an attorney with the Wheaton, IL based law firm of The Estate Planning Law Group--www.TEPLG.com. The attorneys at our firm work with parents who have a child with a disability to plan for and secure their child's future through the use of comprehensive counseling based estate planning. We assist with setting up Wills, Living Trusts, Irrevocable Trusts, Special Needs Trusts, both third-party and OBRA '93 Payback trusts, and Powers of Attorney. In addition, we represent individuals who must go to court to establish an OBRA '93 Payback Special Needs Trust and parents who are seeking guardianship of their child. If you live in Illinois or are planning for an individual with special needs who resides in Illinois, you may request a copy of our free Guide at www.SpecialNeedsFreedomGuide.com. In the Guide, you'll learn (1) the 10 steps to take to plan for the future care of your child, (2) how to set up a Special Needs Trust that protects your child's eligibility for essential government benefits, (3) whether Guardianship might be an appropriate option for your child, (4) how to plan for and secure government benefits for your child. We are dedicated to serving people with special needs and those who love them. Kirsten may be reached at 630-871-8778 or by email at kirsten@teplg.com to discuss your situation.

 

Brooks Publishing Company
www.brookespublishing.com
Brooks Publishing Company continues to provide us with their materials and books for our use, review, and to preview with families and in the schools.

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712 Westfield Drive            St. Charles, IL 60174
ph: 630-302-0970
EIWelcome@comcast.net