Sen. Kennedy Celebrates 26th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act

From Connecticut General Assembly:

Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-Branford) joined dozens of fellow disability rights advocates to celebrate the 26th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the landmark civil rights law that prohibits disability discrimination. The celebration was held at Center for Disability Rights’ (CDR) 11th annual “Wheel-A-Thon” event. The Wheel-A-Thon is held each year to raise money for CDR’s youth empowerment training sessions that bring together students with disabilities from across Connecticut to learn leadership and advocacy skills.

“As an amputee, cancer survivor and lawyer, I have spent my life advocating for equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities, and I understand the legal and social barriers that still face thousands of young people in our state,” said Sen. Kennedy. “We need to cultivate new, energetic, knowledgeable spokespeople so that they can become the future leaders of the disability rights movement. I am proud to work with CDR, one of the Shoreline’s leading civil rights organizations for people with disabilities, to help cultivate these promising new activists.”

“CDR Wheel-A-Thon is s unique event in which we not only raise awareness about barriers faced by people with disabilities; but we also raise funds to support our Youth Self-Empowerment Camps and fund the Scholarships,” said Marc Anthony Gallucci, executive director of the Center for Disability Rights.

Center for Disability Rights is local center for independent living that serves persons with disabilities in 42 towns, including those who live in Connecticut’s shoreline communities. CDR provides a single point of access for resources and services for people with disabilities. CDR seeks to empower people with disabilities to achieve their full potential and live independently.

Photo courtesy of the General Assembly of Connecticut