Jul 13, 2010

March with APD to Recognize the ADA

TALLAHASSEE, FL—July 26 will mark the 20th Anniversary of the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States. In

Florida, the public is invited to join the March for Opportunity in

Tallahassee on Monday, July 26, to show their support for the ADA.

Marchers should gather in the morning about 10 a.m. at Park

Avenue and Monroe Street, with the walk beginning promptly at 10:30

a.m. Marchers will proceed down Monroe Street to the Capitol

Courtyard.

A celebratory ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. in the Capitol

Courtyard with remarks from disability advocates and dignitaries. The

event is free and open to the public.

Some of the organizations sponsoring the march are Outback

Steakhouse, Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Ability 1st, Able

Trust, Division of Blind Services, Commission for the Transportation

Disadvantaged, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Governor's

Commission on Disabilities, Florida Developmental Disabilities

Council, Agency for Workforce Innovation, and the Florida Disabled

Outdoors Association.

On July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA

into law. The ADA has made a tremendous impact on American life and

culture. The ADA is an important civil rights act designed to ensure

that people with disabilities enjoy the same freedoms as everyone

else.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities Director Jim DeBeaugrine

said, “It is common now to see people with disabilities in the

workforce, walking around neighborhoods, out shopping, and in our

school system. This is exactly what the ADA was meant to

accomplish—providing the opportunity for all people to fully

participate in their communities. This landmark legislation has made

a tremendous difference in the lives of millions of Floridians,

guaranteeing their rights to seek work, housing, and access to public

buildings and other facilities.”

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event,

contact the Clearinghouse on Disability Information at

1-877-232-4968.