Press Releases
Road to Freedom Bus Tour in Minneapolis August 17
Keeping the Promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Traveling Exhibit Notes 17th Anniversary of the ADA
May 15th, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS – The Road to Freedom Bus Tour, a year-long, cross-country educational and promotional bus tour to inform and inspire America about the compelling history of disability rights, will stop in downtown Minneapolis on Friday, August 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free exhibit will be parked between the Mill City Museum and the Guthrie Theater at 704 South Second St., Minneapolis. The public is invited to stop by.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990 with overwhelming bipartisan support, promising freedom, equality and inclusion for people with disabilities. Congress passed the ADA to open doors to employment, public services and accommodations and to give people with disabilities the freedom to live fully in the community. Today, the dream of full civil rights protections for people with disabilities is not yet fully realized.
The Road to Freedom bus tour features a multi-media display and presentation that guides viewers through the civil rights struggle for people with disabilities. Jim Ward, president of ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights, will be on hand to talk about the ADA, the challenges still faced by people with disabilities and the need to keep the promise of the ADA. Ward’s presentations are scheduled at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Event hosts for the Road to Freedom tour include: Access Press; ADA Minnesota; Advocating Change Together; Arc Greater Twin Cities; Courage Center; The Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota; Metropolitan Center for Independent Living; Mill City Museum; Minnesota Department of Employee Relations; Minnesota Department of Human Services; Minnesota State Council on Disability; United Cerebral Palsy of Minnesota; University of Minnesota Institute on Community Integration; and VSA arts of Minnesota.
The space between the Mill City Museum and the Guthrie Theater was selected as the site for the Road to Freedom exhibit as the result of the Guthrie’s hosting of this year’s Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) Conference Thursday through Sunday, August 16-19, 2007. This annual conference is produced by the Accessibility Office of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and is intended for people working in the arts to learn more about access as it relates to people with disabilities. Local sponsors for this conference, expected to draw approximately 175 people from across the country, include the Minnesota State Arts Board, VSA arts of Minnesota and the Guthrie Theater.