ADA Celebration
In honor of the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, a coalition of 13 local disability organizations will hold a
free celebration at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center
from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., on Tuesday, July 26.
The event, “ADA 15 Years Strong: Then, Now and Beyond,” will
feature entertainment, exhibitors from local organizations, educational
group sessions, food and presentations, including a talk by NBC correspondent
John Hockenberry.
Hockenberry is a Peabody
and Emmy-award winning journalist and correspondent for Dateline
NBC. As a result of a car accident in 1976, Hockenberry severed
his spinal cord and became paralyzed below his chest. His book, “Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs and Declarations
of Independence,” is a memoir on living with a disability and
how disability is perceived in society. He will be delivering the
afternoon keynote address.
Barry Taylor, Legal
Advocacy Director at Equip for Equality, Inc., the Illinois Protection
and Advocacy system, will give the event’s
opening presentation. Taylor will discuss how far the ADA has come
in 15 years and his visions for the future.
In addition to the presentations, six educational group sessions
will take place throughout the day. The session includes topics on:
aging and disability; mental health issues in the workplace; reasonable
accommodations at work; accessible web design; and, understanding
Social Security and emergency preparedness for people with disabilities.
The celebration is open and free to the public. For more information
about the event, contact ADA Minnesota at 651-603-2015.
The event has been made possible by a generous donation from Cargill
and by the activities of the coalition. The coalition includes: ADA
Minnesota; VSA Arts Minnesota; ARC Hennepin-Carver; Institute on
Community Integration; Access Press; Dept. of Human Services; MCIL;
MN State Council on Disability; National MS Society; Minnesota Chapter;
SMILES Center; State of Minnesota; and, UCP Minnesota.
