NORTHERN VIRGINIA CELEBRATES 10th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ADA, 25th ANNIVERSARY OF IDEA AS LOCAL HOST FOR NATIONAL SPIRIT OF ADA TORCH RELAY

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NORTHERN VIRGINIA CELEBRATES 10th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ADA, 25th ANNIVERSARY OF IDEA AS LOCAL HOST FOR NATIONAL SPIRIT OF ADA TORCH RELAY

ARLINGTON, VA - A local disability rights group run by persons with disabilities is commemorating milestone anniversaries of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as local host for a national Spirit of ADA Torch Relay. The relay began in Alaska and ends at the United Nations in New York. ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia (ECNV) in Arlington, VA a non-profit independent living and advocacy center whose board of directors and staff are primarily persons with disabilities is one of twenty four stops in the nation for the Spirit of ADA Torch Relay. ECNV serves the City of Alexandria and Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun county citizens with disabilities from their state-of-the-art independent living skills training and business conference facility that is as a model for universal access and barrier-free design. The Torch arrives here on the morning of July 25thand is being carried by groups of young people with disabilities from a 9:00 a.m. welcome ceremony at ECNV to the FDR Memorial in Washington, DC, for two days of national celebrations.

"As a Center for Independent Living committed to empowerment of individuals with disabilities, ECNV is honored to be selected as a kickoff site for the DC celebrations of these civil rights milestone anniversaries", says Michael J. Cooper, Executive Director of ECNV. "This year's 10th anniversary of the ADA and the 25th anniversary of IDEA are occasions to celebrate. We acknowledge not only the progress that disability rights advocates have forged to date, but the additional promise that our young leaders in the disability community bring toward a future of real, equal access and full inclusion."

"Ten years after passage of the ADA the disability community has come to grips with the reality that laws alone cannot guarantee integration," says ECNV Board President Lawrence Pelkey. "Our America is still one where unemployment rates in the disability community soar above 70%. Children with disabilities have almost twice the high school dropout rate of children without disabilities, while the Department of Education says that every state in the nation is out of compliance with the federal standards for IDEA. This Torch is a rallying point for our local and national disability community as we ask whether our society would tolerate these same statistics when addressing the societal needs of any other minority group in the nation?"

The theme of the anniversary events, "Renew the Pledge" was adopted by a coalition of national and local organizations in collaboration with the Americ an Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). "As the Torch travels across the nation I ask all Americans to join with us and renew the pledge to support equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for all persons, including individuals with disabilities," says Andrew J. Imparato, President and CEO of AAPD. Private individuals and elected officials across the nation are obtaining pledges of support for ADA and IDEA and sending them to AAPD.

The national host for the event is AAPD, with Volkswagen of America as the national title sponsor. Other national sponsors include the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, AccessLife.com, Microsoft, Continental Airlines, and the Shepherd Center. Numerous local sponsors across the nation are also contributing to make local relay events possible.

Young people with disabilities, ages 10-25 are being recruited by ECNV as torchbearers for the local events, and nationally the Torch's progress is being followed at the Website www.spiritofada.org. Youth with disabilities who wish to carry the Torch in the ADA Relay, or those who wish to nominate youth can contact ECNV directly at (703) 525-3268 (Voice), or (703) 525-3553 (TTY).