BAIN celebrates ADA
Published 2:15 pm Tuesday, July 26, 2011
THE LEAD FLOAT in Saturday’s parade honoring the 21st anniversary of the passing and signing into law of the Americans with Disabilities Act leaves the Winn-Dixie parking lot. Holding the poster honoring the greater accessibility the act has provided to the disabled is Dujuan Dubose.
BAINBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL Air Force Junior ROTC color guard members lead Saturday’s parade honoring the 21st anniversary of the passage and signing into law of the Americans With Disabilities Act. From the left, are cadets Dexter Lagace, Jasmine Horne, Caryn Vandergriff and Eliezer Gomez. Cadet Chris Campbell, the color guard commander, is out front and not pictured.
BAINBRIDGE ADVOCACY INDIVIDUAL NETWORK, BAIN Inc. board President Stancil Tootle presented BAIN Founder Virginia Close Harris with a proclamation from Bainbridge Mayor Edward Reynolds honoring BAIN and their celebration of the 21st anniversary of the passage and signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
BAINBRIDGE ADVOCACY INDIVIDUAL NETWORK, BAIN Inc. founder Virginia Close Harris is accompanied by her 5-year-old granddaughter, Tatianna Close, in Saturday’s parade in recognition of the 21st anniversary of the passage and signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Bainbridge Advocacy Individual Network, BAIN Inc., celebrated the 21st anniversary of the passage and signing into law of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Saturday with a parade, inspirational speeches and a luncheon at the Bainbridge Middle School cafeteria.
The act, which was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990, has enriched the lives of thousands of people across the United States through architectural barrier removal, increased accessibility to public transportation and practices for people with disabilities.
It has also guaranteed fair housing practices bringing about greater community inclusion.
BAIN board President Stancil Tootle presented BAIN Founder and Executive Director Virginia Close Harris with a proclamation from Bainbridge Mayor Edward Reynolds, in which the mayor praised her for being a strong advocate for the rights of the disabled.
The parade was led by a Bainbridge High School Air Force Junior ROTC color guard commanded by cadet Chris Campbell and including cadets Dexter Lagace, Jasmine Horne, Caryn Vandergriff and Eliezer Gomez.
Behind the color guard was a float with BAIN clients holding signs, followed by other sign-bearers walking and riding in wheelchairs. The signs reflected the clients’ desires to live full, productive and independent lives.
Harris was accompanied on her wheelchair by her granddaughter, 5-year-old Tatianna Close holding a sign that read, “We may stand out, but we always stand up for what we believe in.”
BAIN independent living coordinator Julie Ouzts welcomed the BAIN clients and guests to Saturday’s celebration and thanked them for their untiring work for the disabled.