N.O.D. Announces Finalists for Accessible America Awards

Published Dec 12, 2006
U.S. Newswire http://www.usnewswire.com
Washington, D.C.

The National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) today announced that ten communities have been selected as finalists in its 2006 Accessible America Competition: Alexandria, VA; Berkeley, CA; Bloomington, IN; Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN; Louisville, KY; Miami Beach, FL; New Haven, CT; San Francisco, CA and Sioux Falls, SD.

An independent, five-member judging panel of distinguished disability advocates and professionals from across the United States will select the winners, with results to be announced January 11, 2007.

The cash prizes, awarded to one national winner and one runner up community, are sponsored by generous grants from UPS and Wal-Mart of $25,000 and $10,000 respectively. N.O.D.'s Community Partnership Program administers the competition to recognize and promote progress toward comprehensive accessibility and opportunity in US cities and towns. The money encourages further advancement of local disability-related efforts.

"All communities that entered this contest are recognized leaders, because they have made a serious commitment to serving residents who have disabilities," said N.O.D. President Michael R. Deland. "Population trends point to an increase in the number of people with disabilities who will surely look to community resources that support their independence and dignity." N.O.D. Vice President Nancy Starnes added, "These ten finalist communities will inspire many thousands of others across the country to replicate ideas about how to accomplish the full and equal participation of people with disabilities."

All U.S. cities and towns were eligible to enter the competition which recognizes communities that demonstrate an exceptional commitment to offering citizens with disabilities full and equal opportunities to participate in the life of their community, including access to jobs, education, religious worship, voting, transportation, housing, emergency preparedness and the entire range of social, recreational, cultural, and sports activities. The winning applications are posted on N.O.D.'s website at http://www.nod.org to encourage replication of best practices by communities across the country.

Previous Accessible America Award winners include Cambridge, MA, Pasadena, CA, Phoenix, AZ, Irvine, CA and Venice, FL.

For more information, contact: Nancy Starnes of the National Organization on Disability, 202-955-6326 or Starnes @ nod.org