Oct. 31 Is Deadline for $25,000 Accessible America 2003 Competition; Communities Urged to Enter; Disability-Friendly Town or City Will Get National Recognition

10/14/2003

From: Brewster Thackeray of the National Organization on Disability, 202-955-6327

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 -- The National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) urges America's mayors and chief elected officials to enter their communities in the third annual $25,000 "Accessible America" award competition, open to all U.S. cities and towns. It is sponsored by UPS, as were the past two years' contests. The 2003 competition has a deadline of October 31, 2003, and the winner will be announced in December.

Entrants will showcase how citizens with disabilities are participating in and contributing to local community life. The winner of the Accessible America 2003 competition will be a city or town where citizens with disabilities have opportunities for full and equal involvement in their community, including access to education, jobs, voting, transportation, housing, religious worship, and a full range of social, recreational, cultural, and sports activities. N.O.D. is giving additional focus in the post-September 11 era to emergency preparedness for people with disabilities. The competition highlights thorough community-wide progress and inspires replication. Venice, Fla. won the inaugural contest, and Irvine California was the 2002 winner.

To enter the competition, communities must submit an official Accessible America application with a cover letter signed by their mayor describing how their city or town (or county representing unincorporated communities within its borders) provides opportunities for citizens with disabilities. Entries must be postmarked no later than October 31, 2003.

"People who have disabilities are part of every community, and deserve to feel welcomed in the towns and cities where they live," said N.O.D. Vice Chairman Christopher Reeve. "Communities that make strong effort to be accessible and welcoming to those of us with disabilities serve their citizens and visitors, and these communities gain culturally, socially, and economically."

"While there is going to be one winner, all the communities that enter are demonstrating their commitment to people with disabilities," says Nancy Starnes, N.O.D. Vice President and Director of the Community Partnership Program. Ms. Starnes, a wheelchair user, is the former mayor of Sparta, N.J.

To learn more about the Accessible America 2003 competition, and the many benefits N.O.D.'s Community Partnership Program offers member communities, visit http://www.nod.org, or call 202/293-5960. Member communities, represented by their mayors, receive guidance, complimentary copies of N.O.D. research reports and publications, legislative updates, alerts and bulletins on disability issues, and tips on working with constituents with disabilities. The program shares information about and promotes replication of model local disability programs through its growing network of towns, cities and counties committed to mainstreaming people with disabilities. Membership in the Community Partnership Program is not a prerequisite for entering the Accessible America competition.

The National Organization on Disability, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2002, promotes the full and equal participation and contribution of America's 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life. For more information about N.O.D.'s programs, visit http://www.nod.org.