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ADA Cleveland’s 2020 Call for Access: A Look Back

Posted on 08/28/20 in Advocacy

ADA Cleveland logo w/text at top


ADA Cleveland, a coalition of agencies and organizations from Greater Cleveland who share in the mission to provide greater access and opportunity for individuals with disabilities, recently completed its month-long celebration honoring the 30th-anniversay of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990.


A proud member of ADA Cleveland, LEAP participated in many of the Call for Access’ 23 online workshops. The 30-day virtual event, which ran from July 26-August 26, featured presentations focused around the themes of advocacy, emergency preparedness and Black disability history and advocacy.


“The greatest benefit of ADA Cleveland is to allow people with disabilities and those who advocate with them to see, to hear, to move, to think, to perceive and to experience life in a way that works not only for a particular individual but in a way that works on a more universal level,” said Chris Garr, ADA Cleveland Co-Chair, during the celebration’s closing ceremony. “It is this uniqueness of diversity and experience that both challenges us and makes us stronger.”


In addition to the live discussions, ADA Cleveland raised awareness of issues important to the local disability community through the distribution of more than 300 activity kits and more than 315 commemorative yard signs.


“This year’s Call for Access celebration was an opportunity to creatively expand our collaborative community dialogue that we intend to continue through 2020 and beyond,” said Melanie Hogan, LEAP’s executive director. “Anyone interested in accessing the collation’s educational resources or participating in our systems advocacy efforts should visit ADACleveland.org or contact a member organization.”


Click here to sign up to join ADA Cleveland’s email distribution list.


Honoring excellence

Congratulations to Donna Prease, who was named the 2020 recipient of ADA Cleveland’s Legacy Builder Lifetime Achievement Award, and Laura Gold, who was recognized as the coalition’s 2020 Advocate in Action honoree earlier this week. Visit ADA Cleveland’s Facebook page to learn more about these two remarkable champions of our disability community!


Webinar replays

All the virtual sessions that were recorded are available for on-demand viewing on ADA Cleveland’s Facebook page by clicking here. Note: Logging into Facebook is not required to watch the recordings.


Thank you, sponsors!

A heartfelt thank-you to the sustaining support provided by the celebration’s chief sponsor, the Cleveland Foundation. With the foundation’s steadfast commitment, ADA Cleveland was able to transform what was originally planned as a one-day event into a 30-day showcase of disability pride. Additional support from MobilityWorks, the Division of Senior and Adult Services (DSAS), Future Age, Inc., Community Management Foundation and the Housing, Advocacy and Resource Council ensured success.

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