Celebrating 30 Years of the ADA

415 People registered for Six General Sessions 33 Attended the Young Advocates Session 51 Attended the Self-Advocates Session

FIVE-YEAR PLAN RESPONSE

52 Attended the LatinX Session 704 English & Spanish Surveys were Submitted

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF THE ADA

The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, NC Department of Health and Human Services Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and Office of State Human Resources partnered together to honor and celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, one of the United State’s most noted pieces of civil rights legislation prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990 by President George H. W. Bush.

The three agencies hosted the ADA 30th Anniversary Celebration that welcomed 500 attendees. The Celebration featured messages from Governor Roy Cooper, Secretary of Health and Human Services Mandy Cohen and Director of State Human Resources Barbara Gibson, along with two keynote speakers:

Madeline Delp, who became the first woman to compete for the title Miss USA in a wheelchair. In 2017, Delp formed Live Boundless, an Asheville-based nonprofit dedicated to inspiring others to live full, productive and vibrant lives regardless of their physical condition.

Emeka Nnaka, a motivational speaker, coach and leading advocate for individuals with physical disabilities who brings a message of determination and resiliency to audiences of all ages.

To continue commemorating the anniversary, NCCDD launched a month-long celebration by using its ADA 30-for-30 storytelling campaign that highlighted the ADA with stories, artwork, photos and videos of and by North Carolinians with disabilities.

The first story featured artist Ashleigh Crawford and her special artwork created to celebrate this important ADA anniversary. New stories were added to the NCCDD website daily and promoted through NCCDD’s Facebook and Twitter channels.

Also in July, NCCDD began working with state leaders and stakeholders on the creation of a new Olmstead Plan. A United States Supreme Court case that laid the groundwork for people with disabilities to live their lives as fully included members of the community was the basis for the original Olmstead Plan.