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First Disability Power & Pride Inaugural Ball A Huge Success!

posted January 26, 2009
In a week filled with extraordinary moments, the first-ever Disability Power & Pride Inaugural Ball proved to be an unforgettable experience to everyone who attended. Nearly 1000 people came from across the country -- of diverse ages, disabilities, political viewpoints -- united by a sense of shared purpose and pride. Attendees included top officials in the new administration and Members of Congress. If all this sounds very serious, you should know that the prevailing mood of the evening was FUN!

Among the media coverage was a report by the Agence France Press (AFP), excerpted below courtesy of the AAPD Justice for All Newsletter:

Disabled Americans held their community’s first ever inaugural ball Sunday -- their way of thanking Obama for putting them on the political map.

"The disabled community represents 54 million Americans and this is the first time they’re coming together to honor an incoming president," Karen Lee, a spokeswoman for the Power and Pride Disability Inaugural Ball, told AFP.

"It’s because Obama has taken up their cause," she said.

"He supports equal opportunity in education, employment; he speaks about ending discrimination and independent living; he mentioned the disabled community on the long list of people who helped to get him here."

"Obama sees us as part of the mainstream, part of the political landscape," Andrew Imparato, head of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) told AFP at the gala evening.

"The disabled community has a lot of hope for the promise of his administration," he said.

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