2006 Leadership Awards Gala
Fact Sheet

Date:
Wednesday, March 8, 2006

Location:
Capital Hilton
1001 Sixteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Tickets:
$125 Individual or $250 Patron

For Gala Information and Ticket Purchasing:
AAPD c/o Hayes & Associates
VOICE: 703-556-6330
TTY: 703-556-0448

Leadership

Co-Chairs:
Mrs. Norman (Deni) Y. Mineta
Mrs. F. James (Cheryl) Sensenbrenner, Jr.
Mrs. James (Diane) Jones

Scenario:
Reception 5:45 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Exhibit 5:00-7:00 p.m.

What:
Bringing together leaders from government, business and the non-profit sectors, in recognition of the important work of AAPD and the award recipients, the 5th-annual AAPD Leadership Gala will be a celebration of achievement, leadership and progress toward AAPD’s vision of political and economic empowerment for all people with disabilities.

The 2006 AAPD Leadership Gala will be a celebration of the progress made for people with disabilities and the leaders who have made it possible. The Gala will not only look back on the great strides made in the past, but also look at the goals of AAPD in the next decade as the organization strives to continue to improve the implementation and enforcement of disability nondiscrimination laws.

Who:
Attendees will include senior members of the Executive Branch, Members of Congress, high-ranking policy makers, community and business leaders, and disabilities rights advocates.

Why:
The AAPD Leadership Gala serves as a forum for recognizing, empowering, and supporting both emerging and established leaders in the disability community, as well as for inspiring and mobilizing all attendees to increase their advocacy in support of realizing the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Awards will be presented to leaders of the disability rights movement by Members of Congress:

• Paul G. Hearne Award - two $10,000 awards are made to emerging leaders with disabilities.
• Henry B. Betts Award - $50,000 award to an individual whose lifetime work has improved the quality of life of people with disabilities.
• Linda Chavez-Thompson Award – given annually to recognize an individual’s leadership toward inclusion of people with disabilities and their families within the labor movement.

Founded in 1995, AAPD is the largest cross-disability membership organization in the United States. AAPD is dedicated to ensuring economic self-sufficiency and political empowerment for the more than 56 million Americans with disabilities. AAPD helps to 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 (ADA).

For additional information, please contact:
Mariana Nork (202) 457-0046 (V/TTY), aapdmvn@aol.com,
or Barb Witten (703) 714-2373, bwitten@hayespr.com.