CITY CELEBRATES
ADA ANNIVERSARY

Sarasota, FL: The Citizens with Disabilities Advisory Board will celebrate the 17th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Mon. July 16, 2007 with a ceremony at 1:30pm in the Commission Chambers in City Hall, located at 1565 First Street.

Several community residents will receive Mayor’s Citations for their leadership roles with ADA issues, helping to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities:

• Pam Dorwarth, ADA advocate
• Don Dawkins, Disabled American Veteran
• Flo Innes, Founder of Advocates for Better Hearing, Inc.
• George Conn (posthumous recognition as a Citizens with Disabilities Advisory Board Member)
• Manasota Lighthouse for the Blind
• Sarasota County Veterans Commission

Mayor Lou Ann Palmer will read a proclamation during the ceremony, and again at 6pm during the regular City Commission meeting, declaring July 26, 2007 as the 17th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Vice Mayor Kelly Kirschner, Commissioner Fredd Atkins, Commissioner Richard Clapp and Commissioner Ken Shelin also will be on hand for the celebration.

The ADA, signed by President George Bush in 1990 and enacted in 1992, ensures that every American’s rights are guaranteed by prohibiting discrimination based on a person’s disability.

The Citizens with Disabilities Advisory Board, consisting of five members, was established in 1993 by the City of Sarasota. The five member board advises the City Commission on ways to make the City of Sarasota more user-friendly to those people with disabilities.

 

For more information, please contact:
Jan Thornburg, Public Information Officer (941) 954-2613
jan.thornburg@sarasotagov.com