Last modified: Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Indiana University institute gears up for Americans with Disabilities Act celebration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 6, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University is joining ADA-Indiana and the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities to host Indiana's celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, an important civil rights law that was signed by President George Bush on July 26, 1990.
Hoosiers celebrated the 15th anniversary of the ADA in 2005 at the Indianapolis Artsgarden.
Local communities also are planning their own celebrations of the ADA anniversary. The following major events, all of which are free and open to the public, are being organized by the institute and its partners:
- July 21 -- The kick-off to Indiana's Celebration will be a 2 p.m. news conference in the Indiana Capitol Rotunda, at which Indiana's ADA Report Card for 2010 will be unveiled. The report card reflects the voices of people with disabilities, family members, and advocates who responded to a statewide survey indicating how well they thought their communities have implemented the ADA. Speakers will include Richard Edwards, chairman of ADA-Indiana; Suellen Jackson-Boner, executive director of the Governor's Council for People with Disabilities; and Vicki Pappas of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, who served as project director for the statewide survey.
- July 22 -- Panelists from various industry sectors will speak at the ADA Summit, a day-long event designed to highlight successes of the ADA, identify barriers to further implementation, and suggest possible solutions to ongoing accessibility issues. The summit will take place in Indianapolis at the Government Center South Auditorium from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Panelists will address a listening panel composed of ADA-Indiana members and Governor's Council board members. The panel will focus on six areas: employment; hospitality and entertainment; retail accessibility; cities and towns; parks, recreation, and temporary events; and voting.
- July 26 -- A gala ADA Celebration will take place at the Artsgarden in Indianapolis from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Hoosiers from across the state are invited to join in the celebration 20 years to the day of the signing of the law. There will be music, entertainment, displays, a gallery of works by Indiana artists with disabilities, cake and refreshments.
Videotaped "Stories of the ADA" from individuals who were instrumental in Indiana's early implementation of the act and from current advocates are available at https://www.youtube.com/adaindiana. Additionally, a national "2010 by 2010 Anniversary Campaign," spearheaded by the National Network of ADA Centers, is gathering proclamations from local and state entities in support of the ADA. The goal is to obtain 2,010 proclamations.
For more news and updates about Indiana's ADA Celebration, visit ADA-Indiana's website at www.adaindiana.org or contact Vicki Pappas, Matt Norris, or Sharon Hauss at 812-855-6508 or by e-mail at adainfo@indiana.edu.
