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Today Portland is celebrating the 24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities act. Of course, this is always a wonderful annual reason to come and have cake. But there are so many more reasons to come to the City of Portland event today. For instance, there’s an open mic, free food, some great captioned music videos and other short videos, musical performance, dance performance, a dance off (!!), and I will be audio recording personal stories and histories that can be shared with the Disability Visibility Project and shared on this blog and the DACP website.
The event is free and open to the public. This is not just for disabled people and their communities. It’s for everyone. Because at least 20% of the U.S. population identifies as having a disability, we are all connected to someone who experiences disability (or societal disablement). More so, this is widely recognized as the one minority group that absolutely anyone can up and join one day without deciding to. Best to get to know us!
Disability rights and disability justice are completely tied to all other civil rights and issues of justice. So I would encourage folks who can make plans on the fly (because I didn’t post this with much notice) to please come out even if you don’t feel connected personally to disability.
[Four part disability access icon in blue and white showing representations of physical impairment, deafness or hard-of-hearing, blindness or visual impairment, and intellectual or cognitive impairment.]
Today’s event details are here in both graphic flyer form and text below!
24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
This family friendly event will include live entertainment, an open mic session, interactive activities, multi-ethnic snacks, speakers, including City of Portland Commissioner Amanda Fritz, and a birthday cake for the ADA’s big 24th!
This event is free and open to the public.
Matt Dishman Community Center
77 NE Knott St in Portland, Oregon
July 26th, 2014
2:00-5:00 PM
Featured Speakers
Amanda Fritz
Sharon Gary-Smith
Community Partners
Portland Parks and Recreation
Portland Commission on Disability
Connecting Communities Coalition
Disability Art and Culture Project
Diverse and Empowered Employees of Portland (DEEP)
Portland Community College Disability Services
Please visit www.portlandoregon.gov/oehr/62222 for updated information.
ASL Interpretation and captioning will be provided. Please direct any questions or comments to admin@portlandisability.com
To help ensure equal access to City programs, services and activities, the City of Portland will reasonably modify polices/procedures and provide auxiliary aids/services to persons with disabilities. (I left out contact info for requesting accommodations because I’m posting this too late to call for specific requests. My apologies.)
Please come out to celebrate in community. And find out, the ADA, what does it stand for?