Monday, October 1, 2007

October is Disability History and Awareness Month

On July 27, 2007 Governor Mike Easley signed Senate Bill 753: Disability History and Awareness Month into law. Starting today North Carolina recognizes October as Disability History and Awareness Month.

In honor of Disability History and Awareness we at The Arc of North Carolina offer some facts on Disability in America today.

*Senate Bill 753 was created during the North Carolina Youth Leadership Network Summit in August of 2006. Seventy-eight youth from around the state gathered to learn about disability history. These amazing young people met with elected officials during this past legislative session to encourage them to support this bill. Their voices and actions made this law a reality.



*North Carolina was the third state to pass this legislation. The first was West Virginia.

*In 1990, President George Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. The Act was founded on four principles: inclusion, full participation, economic self‑sufficiency, and equality of opportunity for all people with disabilities.

*The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law.

*According to the 2000 United States Census there are 1,117,577 people with disabilities living in the State of North Carolina.

*According to the National Center for Education Statistics, during the 2003-2004 school year 193,956 students with disabilities were being served in North Carolina.

*Disability History and Awareness Month in North Carolina will increase public awareness and respect for people with disabilities who comprise a substantial percentage of North Carolina's population, teach future generations that people with disabilities have a rich history and have made valuable contributions throughout North Carolina and the United States, and ensure future generations understand that disability is a natural part of life and that people with disabilities have a right to be treated as individuals above all else.


Read the law:
http://www.ncleg.net/sessions/2007/bills/senate/html/s753v4.html

Want to learn more about Disability History? Check out this link.
Berkley Leads:
http://pages.towson.edu/bhalle/dishist.html

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