Nationwide Tour Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act
The yearlong ADA Legacy Tour, kicking off in Houston, hopes to raise awareness and promote change.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) turns 25 next year. To commemorate the event, the ADA Legacy Project has planned a cross-country tour to raise awareness about the ADA and related issues. The tour will kick off July 25, 2014 at the Abilities Expo in Houston, home to President George H.W. Bush, who signed ADA into law.
The ADA Legacy Project developed out of the ADA25 Summit held in Atlanta in 2012. Sponsored by the Amerigroup Foundation and Shepherd Center, the purpose of the Summit was to plan activities around the anniversary.
In addition to Houston, planned stops for the tour include Boston, San Jose, Calif., Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, with more cities to be added. The tour will conclude in Washington, D.C., during the week of the actual anniversary on July 26, 2015.
The tour will include the Road to Freedom RV, interactive exhibits on the disability rights, self-advocacy and independent living, and a workshop on the status of ADA.
“We want people to experience the disability rights movement and get an understanding of what still needs to be done,” said Mark Johnson, Shepherd Center’s director of advocacy and chairman of the ADA Legacy Project.
For more information about the Project and 25th Anniversary, visit adalegacy.com.
Written by Sara Baxter
Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems, Shepherd Center is ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again.