About Over The Rainbow Print

Over the Rainbow Association is an Illinois not-for-profit association dedicated to providing independent living solutions and employment opportunites for individuals with physical disabilities. It was formed in 1974 by a group of Chicago area parents of children with physical disabilities. Some of these children had cerebral palsy, others had muscular dystrophy or were born with spinal cord injuries. All of these children needed a wheelchair for mobility and required some level of assistance to dress and feed themselves.

These parents were concerned about their children's future. Where would their children live when they, as parents, were no longer able to care for them?

After visiting existing nursing homes and assisted living facilities, they came back disappointed and discouraged. None of them could imagine their young adult children living in one of these facilities. Together they became determined to develop a better solution: apartments where their children and others like them could live independently, sharing access to personal care attendants for daily personal care needs. They dreamed of a residence where their children could have the privacy of their own apartment while enjoying the sociability of living with others.

Those parents didn't know how they were going to build these apartments. None of them were in the construction business, and none of them were wealthy. But, all of them were rich in spirit, passion and drive. All were willing to make huge personal sacrifices for the good of their children. Over the Rainbow was shaped by the dreams, commitment, talents and tireless work of these and many other people.

Mel Landau was one of the original members of Over the Rainbow Association. Mel was the driving force behind Rainbow's first project, the Belden Apartments, an 8-unit building that was developed in 1982 at the intersection of Belden and Halsted in Chicago. It received the Outstanding Housing Award at the Illinois International Year of the Disabled Conference in that same year.

Mel Landau

Don Gustafson

Don Gustafson was another original member who left a lifelong career at Sears to manage the rehab and reconfiguration of the Evanston Community Hospital into Rainbow's second development, the 33-unit Hill Arboretum Apartments completed in January 1991 after five years of planning. Hill Arboretum serves as a model for replication by other agencies and has produced many innovative living designs for persons with physical disabilities.

In 1994, Over The Rainbow Association partnered with the City of Evanston and Sears for the construction of an addition to the Hill Arboretum Apartment which would be dedicated to job training and employment. This was called the Arboretum Business Support Center and is equipped with computers and accessible workstations that provide work opportunities to Hill tenants and residents of the Evanston area. The Business Center provides service to the business community and gives our workers a sense of belonging to the general society. The special needs of the workers are taken into consideration and accounted for by the staff of the center.

These are exciting times for Rainbow! Under the guidance of our Board of Directors, Over The Rainbow Association is expanding to own, manage and/or consult on five new properties from 2007 through 2009:

All total, these new buildings provide an unprecedented opportunity for adults with physical disabilities to move into their own 'homes'.

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See a QuickTime 360 Degree View of Hill Arboretum Apartments:
Lobby/Entrance | Garden One | Garden Two | Garden Three