A community celebration of the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is planned for Saturday, July 28, 2018 at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The event will feature a pre-game picnic at 3:30 p.m. with entertainment provided by magician, David Casas.
Following the picnic, proclamations will be read by local leaders and dignitaries will be recognized on the field, prior to the Kernels baseball game, which begins at 6:35 p.m. Fireworks follow the game.
Service providers will have displays along the concourse from 5 - 7 p.m. Vendors include The Arc of East Central Iowa, Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission, Deaf Iowans Against Abuse, East Central Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa, Ecumenical Community Center Foundation, Options of Linn County, Peer Action Disability Support (PADS), REM Iowa, and To the Rescue.
Linn County Election Services will also be demonstrating its ADA compliant “Express Vote” machine that can read the ballot to those with visual challenges, allowing voters to press large buttons, rather than filling in the traditional small ovals on the traditional paper ballots.
Persons with disabilities and others interested in attending should contact Ashley Balius at (319) 892-5609 by July 1, 2018. A limited number of free Kernels game tickets are available until that date. Accessible transportation for people with disabilities will be provided within the metro area on a limited basis. Registration forms can also be found on the PADS website: www.pads4pwd.org.
Major sponsors of the 2018 ADA Celebration include the Linn County Board of Supervisors Witwer Trust, Peer Action Disability Support (PADS), Rockwell Collins, The Cedar Rapids Kernels, Above and Beyond Home Health & Hospice, The Mentor Network – REM Iowa, Deaf Iowans Against Abuse, Mercy Medical Center, Unity Point – St. Luke’s Hospital and United Healthcare.
For more information, contact Tom Hardecopf at (319) 892-5171 or Ashley Balius at (319) 892-5609.