AAPD-THORNBURGHS TO RECEIVE HENRY B. BETTS AWARD

THORNBURGHS TO RECEIVE HENRY B. BETTS AWARD ON MARCH 4, 2003
December 20, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mariana V. Nork
(202) 955-6114

WASHINGTON, DC -The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) announces that, at its Leadership Gala on March 4, 2003, the Henry B. Betts Award will be presented to Dick and Ginny Thornburgh, longtime advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. Their son, Peter, suffered a serious brain injury as a result of a 1960 car accident. It is he who has inspired and grounded their advocacy efforts on behalf of all people with disabilities.

Dick Thornburgh has served as Governor of Pennsylvania, Attorney General of the United States under Presidents Reagan and Bush, and the highest-ranking American at the United Nations. While Attorney General, he worked tirelessly to bring the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law, and played a large role in the 1990 enactment of that monumental legislation. Dick has often referred to this as one of his proudest moments. He subsequently oversaw development of regulations implementing that legislation. Dick, recipient of the George Bush Medal in 2001, for his service to persons with disabilities, is a founding member of the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) and currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the World Committee on Disability. He filed a brief amicus curiae regarding the Olmstead case in the United States Supreme Court on behalf of N.O.D., asserting the validity of the integration regulations he issued as Attorney General. Dick is currently counsel to Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP, a national law firm, in its Washington, DC office.

Ginny Thornburgh's favorite words are "there are no barriers to God's love; there should be no barriers in God's house." She is Director of the Religion and Disability Program of N.O.D. and for more than thirteen years has focused on making congregations and seminaries more welcoming to people with disabilities. N.O.D.'s interfaith Accessible Congregations Campaign urges congregations to identify and remove barriers to the full participation of people with disabilities. As a result, more than 2,100 houses of worship have enrolled in the campaign. Ginny co-authored and edited the award-winning publication, That All May Worship, now in its sixth printing, and From Barriers to Bridges, a guide to community action.

Together, the Thornburghs have worked in the public eye to maximize opportunities for persons with disabilities in their communities, jobs, schools and congregations.

"Ginny and Dick have translated personal experience as parents into more than three decades of powerful advocacy on behalf of all children and adults with disabilities. As public servants and civic leaders, they have been passionate advocates for community inclusion and full participation in all aspects of society, including places of worship, for ALL people," says Andrew J. Imparato, AAPD President and CEO. "They played key roles in passage and implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and remain steadfast champions for disability rights. AAPD is honored to partner with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in recognizing these trailblazers and the countless people their advocacy has touched. Working together, they have helped to change the world."

The Henry B. Betts Award, created by the Prince Charitable Trusts and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in 1989, is administered by AAPD. It is named in honor of Henry B. Betts, M.D., a pioneer in the field of rehabilitation medicine who started his career with the Institute in 1964, making it the base for his career as an advocate for people with physical disabilities and leader in the field of rehabilitation medicine, and who has devoted himself to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.

"The Prince Charitable Trusts established this award to honor those who have spoken with conviction about the rights of people with disabilities and to acknowledge those leaders who have opened doors so that more individuals can express their creativity and make a contribution," says Frederick H. Prince, Trustee, Prince Charitable Trusts. "The recipients of this year's award, Dick and Ginny Thornburgh, embody the spirit of this award in every way, and we thank them for their wisdom and for sharing their gifts with this community."

The Thornburghs will be presented with the Henry B. Betts Award by AAPD and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago at the AAPD Leadership Gala, an awards ceremony and dinner, on March 4, 2003, 6:30-9:00 p.m. at the Washington Hilton & Towers. For ticket information, call 703-556-4245; TTY 703-556-0448.

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a national membership organization dedicated to promoting the economic and political empowerment of all people living with disabilities in the U.S. AAPD was founded in 1995 by a group of cross-disability leaders to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act: equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.

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