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Vermont Center for Independent Living Honors Harwood Union High School Students

MONTPELIER -- The Americans with Disabilities Act turned 18 on July 26, and its birthday was marked in grand style on the Statehouse lawn with speeches by Gov. Jim Douglas and other distinguished guests.

A highlight of the event was the presentation of the 3rd Annual Deborah Lisi-Baker Leader of Tomorrow Award. This year's award went to a group of students from Harwood Union High School who recently produced a documentary titled "Speak Out for Understanding." The students also appear in the documentary, which looks at what life is like for people with disabilities. The documentary seeks to promote communication, awareness and equity for people with disabilities.

On hand to accept the award were students Emma Wade of Waitsfield, Grace Kirpan of Moretown, Tucker Sargent of Warren and Abby Zarotny of Waitsfield. Maureen Charron-Shea, a speech language pathologist at Harwood who is "Speak Out for Understanding's" project guru, also attended.

"At its heart," said Charron-Shea, "'Speak Out for Understanding' is about the power of individual stories to bring about change. These students have taken on the challenge of not just accepting a label, but rather becoming empowered through knowledge of self."

Wade, a senior at Harwood, spoke about how the project began and about how it evolved: "We began as a group of diverse students, a speech pathologist, and a professional videographer in a public school conference room. We were all just people consumed in our own responsibilities and our own human experience. We were each living separate lives but not necessarily independent or conscious lives. With a common reality and concern, we found the power of truth . . . Being true is the key to acceptance of all people for each and every disability and more importantly, every ability."

Award recipients who were not able to attend the ceremony are Trevor Cook of Warren, Josh Fisher of Waterbury, Steven Griffith of Waterbury, Ellissa Martin of Waterbury, Molly Rand of Waterbury and Tanner Skilton of Waitsfield.

The VCIL Board of Directors created the Deborah Lisi-Baker Leader of Tomorrow Award in honor of the disability rights organization's executive director and emerging leaders in the independent living movement.

Prior to handing out the award, Lisi-Baker said, "It is my great pleasure to be presenting this award not to one individual but to a group of individuals who are changing the world we live in and helping to build a better and more inclusive future for all of us."

Gov. Douglas touched upon inclusion during his remarks by emphasizing how important it is to create equal opportunity for people with disabilities, allowing more Vermonters to be able to join the work force. He concluded his remarks with a hearty, "Happy Birthday, ADA!"

Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 to prohibit discrimination, in all aspects of society, against people with disabilities. The landmark law has been in the national spotlight recently as Congress considers amendments that would expand narrow court interpretations that have restricted ADA coverage in the workplace for people with disabilities. Two House committees have already approved the measure, and proponents are hopeful that it will pass both the House and the Senate by summer's end.

At the ADA Celebration, Patricia Coates of U.S. Rep. Peter Welch's office read a letter from Welch, one of the first co-sponsors of the ADA Restoration Act. According to his letter: "This bill clarified the original intent of the ADA: to restore equality to all Americans with disabilities, including those with diabetes, epilepsy, and other chronic diseases. The Supreme Court had chipped away at the ADA, labeling some 'not disabled enough' to deserve protection."

John Tracy of U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy's office also spoke at the event, and Kelly Lucci of Sen. Bernie Sanders' office read a letter from Sanders.

Sponsors of this year's Americans with Disabilities Act celebration include the Vermont Center for Independent Living, the Vermont Human Rights Commission, VocRehab Vermont and the Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center-New England ADA.