American Association of People with Disabilities

AAPD to Hold ADA Celebration Event on Capitol Hill

Event with Reps. Danny Davis and Jim Ramstad
to Celebrate 16th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

(WASHINGTON, DC) July 26, 2006 — Today marks the 16th anniversary of the passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To celebrate this important anniversary, and as it does annually, AAPD is hosting an event in Washington, DC.

This event will feature disability champions Representatives Danny Davis and Jim Ramstad and The Honorable Rick Lazio, as well as grassroots disability leaders, national disability leaders, government officials, and AAPD’s interns who are working in Federal agencies and on Capitol Hill this summer.

AAPD, which was founded on the fifth anniversary of the ADA, promotes public policies that advance the goals of the ADA: equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. Each year, AAPD sponsors an event to commemorate the ADA anniversary, at which it presents Justice for All Awards as a way of recognizing individuals who have proven to be extraordinary champions of political and economic empowerment for people with disabilities.

At today’s event, AAPD will present Justice for All Awards to Congressional champions of disability rights, Representatives Danny Davis and Jim Ramstad; Corey Rowley, Pennsylvania SILC Executive Director; Bob Kafka, ADAPT National Organizer; and The Honorable Rick Lazio, Executive Vice President of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and a former member of congress. Additionally this year, AAPD will also present a Thomas Paine Award to MIT Professor Ted Selker.

In 2001, the Justice for All award recipients were Senators Bob Dole, Tom Harkin, Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy, and esteemed grassroots organizer Mark Smith. 2002 Justice for All honorees were Congressional champions John Conyers, Jr., Steny Hoyer, Pete Sessions and John Shimkus; Marissa Johnson, President of the National Youth Leadership Network; and Kathy Bushkin, President of the AOL Time Warner Foundation. 2003 Justice for All Award recipients were Senate champions Christopher Dodd and John McCain; disability rights leaders Patricia Garrett, Sue Hetrick and David Jayne; and Thomas Tauke, Senior Vice President, Public Policy & External Affairs for Verizon Communications. In 2004, AAPD presented Justice for All Awards to House champions: Congressman Major Owens and Bob Ney; grassroots and civil rights leaders Harriet McBryde Johnson and Hillary Shelton, NAACP; and Bank of America Sr. Vice President for Diversity, Annette Kellermann, for the work she has done to ensure the bank’s branches and ATM machines are accessible. AAPD also presented an AAPD Thomas Paine Award in 2004 to disability rights activist Brad Williams. And in 2005, AAPD presented Justice for All Awards to two Senate champions of disability rights, Jim Jeffords and Gordon Smith; to Nicholas Donofrio, IBM Executive Vice President, Innovation and Technology; and to renowned author and journalist Jeffery Deaver. AAPD also paid a special tribute to Yoshiko Dart.

For additional information regarding the history of AAPD’s ADA celebration events and photos of past events, please visit the AAPD website.

---

American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
1629 K Street NW, Suite 503; Washington, DC 20006
VOICE: 202-457-0046 (V/TTY) * FAX: 202-457-0473 * www.aapd.com
(This fax number does not accept unsolicited advertisements.)