Today and every day, we at the CIL honor, celebrate and reflect on the Americans with Disabilities Act, the landmark law which transformed the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities when it was signed into law on July 26, 1990. Many of the basic rights which are fundamental to our modern day life were established by this law, including the right to equal access at restaurants, schools, and public facilities, the right to equal education, the right to equal job opportunities, and the right to be treated like everyone else in so many aspects of life.
We as a staff are grateful that we get to mark this day every year, and we are especially grateful to the advocates and law makers who made this momentous legislation possible a generation ago. The signing of this law was an achievement of the disability rights movement which began in the 1970’s and included the formation of CILs across the country. As an organization we feel deeply tied to the history of this law and disability rights overall.
We have much yet to achieve to realize true equality across our society, and we are proud to work alongside all of you in our efforts to continue to push the actions, attitudes and expectations of our community toward true inclusion.
Last week we held our ADA Summer Celebration, and we were thrilled to welcome so many of you for this special event. Roughly 100 members of our community came together to enjoy the summer season, park atmosphere, food, music and activities together, and we thank you for being a part of this event with us. We also sincerely thank our entire staff team for all the hard work and dedication in organizing such a fantastic event.
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