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 "We're committed to keeping
the promise of equality and continuing to improve the quality of
life for people with disabilities," said IDHS Secretary Michelle R.B.
Saddler. "During fiscal year 2011, the IDHS Division of
Rehabilitation Services helped nearly 4,500 individuals enter
the workforce and live independently. The Americans with
Disabilities Act has been instrumental in changing public attitudes
and facilitates greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in
today's society."
This year's celebration,
themed "Keeping
the Promise of Equality," highlights the talents and
accomplishments of people with disabilities through an art exhibit,
entertainment provided by performers with disabilities, interactive
exhibits, workshops and a three-on-three wheelchair basketball
exhibition.
The celebration encourages the state and people with
disabilities to work together in the same spirit that accompanied
the original enactment of this law. This celebration highlights the
contributions of individuals with disabilities in Illinois, as well as
their everyday challenges and successes. It also serves as a
reminder to every citizen of the importance of civil rights
protections for Illinois residents and facilitates broader awareness
about an inclusive society.
For the last 21 years, IDHS
has joined with a coalition of other state agencies and councils to
sponsor a statewide event commemorating the passage of the ADA,
which was signed into law in 1990.
The celebration not only
recognizes the accomplishments of people with disabilities, it shows
how state agencies, programs and other organizations have worked to
implement the law. Illinois has a long-standing history of
protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities, going back more
than 30 years to the passage of the Illinois Human Rights Act
(Dec. 6, 1979), which prohibits discrimination against any
person with a "physical or mental disability."
For more information about
IDHS programs and services for people with disabilities, visit
www.dhs.state.il.us.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |
