THORNBURGHS TO RECEIVE HENRY B. BETTS AWARD FIVE NAMED FOR 2002 PAUL G. HEARNE/AAPD LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Award Presentations to be Made March 4th at Washington DC Gala
February 14, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mariana V. Nork
301-509-2057
Tamara Mlynarczyk
703-619-6661

Washington, DC - Former Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh and Ginny Thornburgh, longtime advocates for the rights of people with disabilities, will receive the prestigious Henry B. Betts Award, and five emerging leaders with disabilities will receive Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards. All recipients will be honored at AAPD's second annual Leadership Gala on March 4, 2003, at the Washington Hilton and Towers, in Washington, DC.

The Thornburgh's son, Peter, received a serious brain injury as a result of a 1960 car accident, and it is he who has inspired and grounded their advocacy efforts on behalf of all people with disabilities. Together, the Thornburghs have worked to maximize opportunities for persons with disabilities in their communities, jobs, schools and congregations.

While serving as Attorney General of the United States under Presidents Reagan and Bush, Dick Thornburgh 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. He has often referred to this as one of his proudest moments. He subsequently oversaw development of regulations implementing that legislation. Recipient of the George Bush Medal in 2001 for his service to persons with disabilities, Dick 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 is currently counsel to Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP, a national law firm, at its Washington, DC office.

Ginny Thornburgh is Director of the Religion and Disability Program of N.O.D. and for more than 13 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. She co-authored and edited the award-winning publication, That All May Worship, and From Barriers to Bridges, a guide to community action.

AAPD administers the Henry B. Betts Award, which was created by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and the Prince Charitable Trusts in 1989. The $50,000 cash award 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 2002 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award recipients are:

• Albert Cheong, San Francisco, CA
• Claudia Gordon, Washington, DC
• Carrie D. Griffin, Washington, DC
• Peter Cody Hunt, Pittsburgh, PA
• Sarah Louise Triano, Chicago, IL

The Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation established the Paul G. Hearne Awards Program in 1999 to recognize and carry on the work of Paul Hearne, a renowned leader in the national disability community and AAPD's founder. The award seeks to realize Paul Hearne's goal of cultivating potential leaders to carry on the disability movement. Since its inception, 29 awards have been presented. AAPD is grateful to these additional program sponsors: The Bodman Foundation, the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation and The Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation.

This year's Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award recipients were selected from nearly 250 applications by a national advisory committee to receive cash awards of $10,000 each to further their work in the disability community.

Members of the media are invited to attend this important event recognizing the vital work being done to advance the rights of all 56 million people with disabilities in the U.S. Please contact Tamara Mlynarczyk at 703-619-6661 with any questions regarding attending the AAPD Leadership Gala.

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