Three key players in the development of the Americans with Disabilities Act…which was signed by President George H.W. Bush 25 years ago, will be speaking at the Bush Library and Museum Thursday evening.
Director Warren Finch says the panel discussion starts at 7 p.m. There’s no admission but reservations are requested by contacting the museum.
A 25th anniversary A-D-A exhibit remains on display in the museum’s rotunda through January.
Click below for comments from Warren Finch, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.
News release from the Bush Library and Museum:
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we are pleased to present a panel discussion featuring Professor Lex Frieden, Ambassador C. Boyden Gray and Dr. Larisa DeSantis. Mr. Frieden will talk of his involvement in the grassroots campaign to implement the ADA. He worked tirelessly to garner support for this much-needed legislation. Ambassador Gray, White House Counsel to President George H.W. Bush, authored the bill and ensured its passage. Dr. DeSantis served as poster child for the epilepsy society during the Bush Administration, and has since gone on to become a world-renowned paleontologist. She will discuss how her life has been affected by ADA.
A mere 25 years ago, being disabled often meant being unable to function easily in society. Buildings weren’t properly outfitted, even simple adjustments weren’t made to make work life functional. People who weren’t fully physically functioning were ostracized and seen as simply “less.” The Americans with Disabilities Act sought to change the way America as a whole viewed those who were considered disabled, to give everyone a chance to be productive and included. There is still work to be done, but the sweeping changes made by ADA can be seen all around us.
Be sure to visit the focus exhibit in the Bush Library and Museum’s rotunda to learn more about the Americans with Disabilities Act, on display through January 2016.
Please join us on Thursday, November 5, as we celebrate the first 25 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The panel discussion will take place in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center and will begin at 7 p.m. A reception will follow. Seating is limited, and reservations are encouraged. The event will be captioned and signed for the hearing impaired. Please inform us of any necessary accommodations by calling 979-691-4068 or by emailing reservations.bush@nara.gov. You can also make reservations by clicking the button below.