On Saturday, July 26, 2008 the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center celebrated the 18th Anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. The ADA is a comprehensive civil rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination in both the public and private sectors.
People received helpful information
from local organizations at
the Resource Fair.
Approximately 150 people attended the event at 501 S.W. Jackson Street. Those in attendance were able to receive information on services provided by over 20 local social service organizations and government agencies at the Resource Fair while listening to the sounds of bluegrass music provided by local musicians David and Annalise Ohse.
There were various games and activities for children and adults and door prizes were given away throughout the event.
An awards ceremony was held during the afternoon to honor Kansans who have shown their dedication to the cause of disability rights. Representative Nancy Boyda was honored for her support of federal legislation of importance to people with disabilities, like the Community Choice Act. State Senator Anthony Hensley received an award in appreciation of his lifelong support for justice, equality and essential services for all people with disabilities in Kansas. The Consumer/Attendant Action Network (CAAN) received their award for their groundbreaking efforts to promote increased wages and benefits for personal care attendants and Kansas ADAPT was recognized for their tireless efforts in advocating for choice, freedom and dignity in long term care.
Tessa Goupil and her son Sean
receive the Award for CAAN from
Master of Ceremonies and
TILRC
Executive Director Mike Oxford.
The oral history project Story Corps conducted interviews throughout the day as part of their Memory Loss Initiative. StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. Unlike traditional oral history interviews, a StoryCorps interview is done by two people who know each other. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to take home and share, and is archived for generations to come at the Library of Congress. Through the Memory Loss Initiative, StoryCorps reaches out to people affected by memory loss to support and encourage them to share their stories.
That evening participants enjoyed a barbeque dinner while listening to live music performed by local band Blue Feather. Unfortunately, a sudden rainstorm cut the festivities short, but it did not dampen the festive spirit of the day’s events.