2012 AAPD Leadership Awards Gala
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On March 21, 2012, AAPD will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the AAPD Leadership Awards Gala at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
We will again bring together leaders from government, business, and the disability and civil rights communities in recognition of the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award recipients and as a celebration of achievement, leadership, and progress in AAPD’s mission to promote equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation for people with disabilities.
In 2011, AAPD honored Fox Television’s hit show “Glee,” and Actress Lauren Potter, and Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, Jr. and Cheryl Sensenbrenner.
This year, AAPD is honoring USA Network’s Characters Unite Initiative with the 2012 Image Award. Our members come from all 50 states and all backgrounds, which is what makes USA Network a perfect recipient. Through the Characters Unite Initiative, USA has combated prejudice, intolerance, and hate. As USA says, characters are what make us and at USA Network - all characters are welcome. We couldn’t agree more.
The AAPD Leadership Awards Gala provides a unique opportunity for AAPD’s partners, supporters, and colleagues to show their support of Americans with all types of disabilities, while bringing together the national cross-disability community with business and government leadership for one night each year.
For more information about becoming a 2012 AAPD Gala sponsor, please contact Jason Mida at Jmida@aapd.com or 202-521-4307.
We would like to thank our current sponsors for their continued support of our programs.
Platinum Sponsors
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Gold Sponsors
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Silver Sponsors
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Bronze Sponsors
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Gala Benefactors
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The Honorable Ralph Boyd
Senator Bob Dole
Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, Jr. and Mrs. Cheryl Sensenbrenner
Gala Supporters
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2012 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award Winners
Mark Barlet, Harper’s Ferry, WV
Mark Barlet is co-founder and current President of the AbleGamers Foundation, which serves the disability community by advocating greater access to digital media and developing equipment, programs, and services for people with disabilities. Mark is a veteran who is monoplegic. He and the staff of AbleGamers draw upon their personal experiences with disability to connect with the people they serve.
AbleGamers:
- created and maintains the largest database of mainstream videogame titles, complete with reviews focused exclusively on the accessibility of a given title;
- serves more than 100,000 people through its database each year;
- Serves tens of thousands of people through awareness programs;
- Gives voice to the concerns of the more than 33 million people with disabilities that use gaming for rehabilitation quality-of-life improvement, and recreation.
Amber Smock, Chicago, IL
Amber Smock is the Director of Advocacy at Access Living, a nationally-prominent organization that that enables people with disabilities in Chicago to live fully-engaged and self-directed lives. As Director of Advocacy, Amber oversees both public policy and organizing activities including youth leadership initiatives and advocacy to prevent state budget cuts.
In 2005, she co-founded a grassroots organization targeted at women with disability issues – Feminist Response in Disability Action (FRIDA). Through FRIDA, Amber brought public attention to the fact that nursing homes were not providing sanitary products to women and successfully changed that policy. She led an action to push the American Medical Association to stop physicians from manipulating the bodies of children with disabilities so that they could not become adults.
She is the 2009 Chicago Disability Pride Parade Grand Marshal and the recipient of Deaf Illinois’ Best Deaf Activist Award.
