ADA movement film and panel held in Troy
Groups come together for film and panel
TROY, N.Y. >> ADAPT Capital Region, Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York State , the Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley, CDTA, and the City of Troy all came together last week for an event.
The event included the screening of the PBS documentary “Gang of 19: ADA Movement” which explored the origins of the disability rights movement in Denver, Colorado in the 1970s.
PBS summarizes the film as follows: “Encouraged by civil rights movements of the 1960s, the Disability Rights Movement gained momentum leading to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Decades earlier in 1978, 19 individuals tossed aside their wheelchairs and blocked city buses deemed inaccessible for the physically disabled. Discover how this one act led to years of advocacy in Colorado and inspired the nation.”
The movie was presented by ADAPT Capital District during the CDPAANYS fall conference held in Troy.
The film was followed by a discussion with Mayor Madden and members of the Capital Region
disability community regarding the City’s efforts to become a more welcoming, inclusive place for people of all abilities, and how civic engagement has been central to the City’s current work around the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The panel photo features six individuals, Julie Farrar, ILCHV/ADAPT Capital District; Mayor Patrick Madden; Tanya Pitts, ADA Certification Manager, CDTA; Cliff Perez, Systems Advo-
cate, ILCHV; Denise Figeuroa, Executive Director, IL-
CHV; and Mike Volkman, ADAPT Capital Region