This week marks the 25th anniversary of the
passage of Americans with Disabilities Act – a historic event that continues to
benefit all of us and those we care for.
The coming week is full of ways to mark this important landmark, and
here are a few:
It’s not too late to attend the Quality Trust cruise on the
Potomac, Sunday evening, July 19.
Tomorrow! This is Quality Trust’s
major annual fundraiser, so it’s a wonderful way to kick back and enjoy
yourself while helping out an organization that does so much for folks with
developmental disabilities in our community and beyond. Here is the link for tickets: http://www.dcqualitytrust.org/category/news-events/ I’m on the Quality Trust’s board, and I’ll
definitely see you there!
Here’s another: On Tuesday,
July 21, 10:00-11:00 a.m., at the Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue
NW, there will be a special conversation with former senator Tom Harkin, who
was a major champion of the ADA when it was passed, and a spirited champion of
persons with disabilities throughout his many years in the Senate. To RSVP:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-next-25-years-of-the-ada-invitation-registration-17591984098,
or watch it live at http://www.dol.gov/dol/media/webcast/live/.
There’s a whole variety of DC- and federally-sponsored
events going on in the next couple of weeks that the Department on Disability
Services has put into one list: http://dds.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dds/release_content/attachments/DDS_ADAFlyer_R2_0.pdf. The Smithsonian in particular is hosting a
large number of events and exhibits: http://www.2540celebration.com/schedule-of-events/.
And finally, if you do nothing else, I hope you’ll read this
awesome and touching testimonial by Mat McCullough, executive director of D.C.’s
Developmental Disabilities Council: https://usodep.blogs.govdelivery.com/2015/07/15/happy-anniversary-to-all-of-us/#more-9686. He says it all, and so very well.
