Please join us today at 3 p.m. for the local 20th Anniversary of the Americans’ with Disabilities Act. Congressman John Dingell, State Representative Alma Smith, and County Commissioners Jeff Irwin and Mark Ouimet will be joining us at 3 p.m. at 3941 Research Park Drive. Food generously provided by Dominos and beverages generously provided by McDonalds.

The ADA was the world’s first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities. At the CILs throughout Michigan we work to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunity and access to the mainstream of American life.

When President Bush signed into law the ADA in front of 3,000 people on the White House lawn on July 26, 1990, the event represented an historical benchmark and a milestone in America's commitment to full and equal opportunity for all of its citizens.

The president's emphatic directive on that day—“Let the shameful walls of exclusion finally come tumbling down”—neatly encapsulated the simple yet long overdue message of the ADA: that 43 million Americans with disabilities are full-fledged citizens and reflects a recognition that the surest path to America's continued vitality, strength and vibrancy is through the full realization of the contributions of all of its citizens.

As we celebrate, educate and advocate together to keep the promise of the ADA, we will work together to see that all have the opportunity to achieve and succeed! Thanks for being part of the future of the ADA as equal access starts with your involvement at the Ann Arbor CIL or elsewhere in the community!

For more information please visit www.aacil.org. You may personally contact me at Carolyn@aacil.org or call (734) 274-9209.