SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, along with state Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, D-Shorewood, will host a press conference Wednesday, March 25, at 9 a.m. for the Illinois Legislative Neurodiversity Caucus (ILNC), with co-chairs state Rep. Nicole La Ha, R-Lemont, and state Sen. Seth Lewis, R-Bartlett. It will be held in the Blue Room, located in the basement of the Illinois State Capitol.
The ILNC is a bipartisan, bicameral, first-of-its-kind caucus, emphasizing the four cornerstones: support, access, resources and education, in an effort to find legislative solutions to obstacles facing those who are neurodivergent, as well as their families.
The focus of the press conference is to highlight March 25 as National Cerebral Palsy Day, as well as to step off April’s Neurodiversity Celebration Month and Autism Awareness Month. April 2 is World Autism Day.
“The Illinois Legislative Neurodiversity Caucus meets monthly, over zoom, featuring highly-informative experts, to help educate us, legislators, about the realities of what Illinois families face when their loved ones are neurodivergent,” Rep. Manley said. “Neurodiversity includes a vast array of conditions where a person’s brain processes the world differently than those who are considered neuro-typical.”
Autism, ADHD, Tourette’s Syndrome, dyslexia and Down Syndrome, are among the countless conditions that are considered neurodiversity.
The ILNC was first launched last year, beginning monthly meetings in January 2026.
Who: State Rep. Natalie Manley, state Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, state Rep. Nicole La Ha, state Sen. Seth Lewis, Illinois Legislative Neurodiversity Caucus
What: Press Conference to highlight National Cerebral Palsy Day, Neurodiversity Celebration Month, Autism Awareness Month
When: Wednesday, March 25; 9 a.m.
Where: Illinois State Capitol Blue Room; Springfield, Ill.
Rep. Natalie Manley
Assistant Majority Leader
(D-Joliet)
98th District
Springfield Office:
300 Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-3316
District Office:
1050 W. Romeo Rd.
Suite 101
Romeoville, IL 60446
(815) 725-2741