Jacksonville, FL (October 29, 2017) – The Independent Living Resource Center of Northeast Florida will celebrate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Sunday, October 29th at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. In partnership with the City of Jacksonville’s Disabled Services Division and the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, 1,000 tickets will be distributed to individuals in the disability community and their guests.
Over 30 vendors that contribute to the disability community will participate in the event and fun activities throughout the day such as a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts, and prize raffles.
The Spirit of the ADA Awards lunch, to be held at 12:30 PM on the Shaba Terrace, will honor the 2017 Jack Gillrup Award recipients selected by the Mayor’s Disability Council.
- Peter Lane, the winner of the Jack Gillrup Citizen Award, started the iAccess group and has served as the volunteer chair for three years. The group meets every other week at the South Mandarin Library to review existing and new assistive technology available for individuals who are blind or have low vision.
- Natalie Alden, the winner of the Jack Gillrup Community Leader Award, is being honored for her unwavering leadership, grassroots efforts in the disability rights movement, involvement with Med-Waiver reform, and her service on the Mayor’s Disability Council. Natalie has been an integral part of the growth and change in the disability community for 30 years and still continues her service and dedication.
“This fun-filled day also allows us to honor those who support members of our community who have a disability,” said Tyler Morris, Executive Director of the ILRC. “We are grateful to the City of Jacksonville’s Disabled Services Division and the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens for their help in making this happen.”
For more information about the services of the ILRC of Northeast Florida visit JaxDisability.org. There are over 400 Centers for Independent Living that operate nationwide, 16 of which are in the state of Florida. Their mission is to empower people with disabilities to live independently. The ILRC assists individuals who have disabilities with skill development in areas such as financial literacy, independent living goals, accessing the community, obtaining medical equipment, and employment readiness.
