A disability pride celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 31, in Davis’ Central Park (between 3rd and 5th and B and C Streets) . It will begin with a sidewalk parade around the park, starting and ending at the Rotary Stage by the carousel, followed by speakers and performers at 9:30 a.m. Central Park is also home to the Davis Farmer’s Market at this time, so we hope you come and enjoy all the produce and goodies as well.
Organizers say they hope to “strengthen the pride, power and unity of people with disabilities, our families and allies” and “challenge the way many people think about and define ‘disability.’ ”
Davis High School and UC Davis graduate Sara Granda will serve as grand marshall for the parade. Paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident in 1997, Granda made headlines last year during her successful fight to take the bar exam. She has since been appointed special assistant to the chief counsel for the State Department of Health Care Services.
Confirmed speakers for the event include U.S. congressman, Mike Thompson, Calfifornia Assembly person, Mariko Yamada, Lucinda Talkington of Outa Sight, a support organization for the visually impaired, and Tom Mentkowski of Hear! Here!, a support group for the hearing-impaired. Volunteer sign language interpreters will be on hand. Also planned: a service dog demonstration, lawn games, board games adapted for the visually impaired, an ADA birthday cake, and performances by folk musicians Duval-Speck and 89-year-old tap dancer George Hinkle of Davis. Natalie Wormeli and Will Arnold of the Yolo County ACLU will serve as emcees.
Among the event’s other co-sponsors are Californians for Disability Rights, The City of Davis, Clarity Sound, The Davis Enterprise, The Davis Food Co-op, Davis Senior Center, The Davis Vanguard, General Technologies, NAMI-Yolo (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill), Nugget Markets, Paws With a Cause, and Special Olympics – Team Davis. For more information, to help, or to co-sponsor the event, call (530) 756-1900.
