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Regional Demo Centers · Gulf Coast Florida · Northwest Florida · Northeast Florida · Central Florida · Atlantic Coast Florida · South Florida Gulf Coast Florida Counties Served: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa
Torch Relay to celebrate ADA, changes law has made locally Saturday brings the Americans with Disabilities Act Torch Relay to the Pensacola Junior College main campus, marking the 17th anniversary of the law. Participants will march along a predetermined path around PJC's campus, ending up at the PJC student center for food and festivities. Along the path, organizations will have torch bearers pass the torch to other groups. At the Student Center, guest speakers and agencies will discuss the benefits of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This year's theme, "Accessing the Community through the ADA," will highlight the local advances and goals. Cheri Hofmann is assistant technology training coordinator at the Center for Independent Living of Northwest Florida Inc. and has worked there for seven years. Hofmann, 51, will be cheering for the law that changed her life. "I would have had a greater edge and my career would have been heightened if I had known then what I know now," Hofmann said, referring to her civil service job in 1994. She has an extreme hearing loss. "Back then, I didn't know I could request an interpreter; I didn't know about the technology that could help. Rather than do that, I melted into the background and tried to deal with things on my own." The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 makes provisions for three areas: employment, public services and public transportation, and the public accommodation and commercial facilities for the disabled. "The American Disabilities Act gives people with disabilities an opportunity to compete alongside everyone else," Hofmann said. "It wasn't put in place to give them an upper hand, it just fills in the holes that were in their civil rights." Proclamations signed by Gov. Charlie Crist will announce Saturday as Americans with Disabilities Act Day. "We'll discuss the bill, the changes made, the access to the community, and employment of people with disabilities," Frank Cherry, executive director at the Center for Independent Living, said. The Center for Independent Living of Northwest Florida Inc. has worked alongside several agencies in the area to make the event a possibility. Those organizations include: We Have Rights, the Pensacola Association for the Deaf Inc., Pensacola Bay Transportation and the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology. "We've worked collaboratively with everyone, about 13 agencies," Cherry said. Several of the agencies will provide information about their services at booths at the event. This celebration will be as important to the families of the disabled as it will be to the beneficiaries of the ADA. "We're not just looking for recognition and access for people with disabilities, but for them and their families," Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall said. "When you deny someone with a disability, you've denied access to their family as well." For more photos, click here
FAAST Gulf Coast Regional Center
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