Join us for a virtual town hall to discuss the state of ADA in our region along with leadership, policymakers, and stakeholders including emcee and advocate Sally Jo Snyder, our Keynote Speaker 2020 Democratic Candidate for State Representative Jessica Benham (District 36), Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Erika Strassburger (District 8), State Representative Jake Wheatley Jr. (District 19), and other community advocates.

Thirty years after the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we will be discussing the impact that this landmark legislation has had on our community to help increase access and opportunity for people with disabilities and the important work going forward to continue our fight for the full extension of rights to the disabilities community across civic, social and economic life.

Though the ADA has created a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable society-at-large, significant inequities remain. Topics to be discussed during our July 24 virtual town hall will include:

• ADA legacy and progress in our region
• Accessibility issues related to transportation and the redesign of public spaces
• Impacts of the area’s evolving COVID-19 response on the disabilities community
• And more...

Note: ASL interpreters will be available on-screen during the virtual town hall and closed captioning is expected to be available. ASL & CC will be available when the recording is published following the live event, as well.

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About Jessica Benham: A union organizer and community leader, Democrat Jessica Benham has been an advocate for people and neighborhoods across our district. She has fought for and won fair treatment for people with disabilities at the Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy. More at benhamforpa.com.

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SUBMIT QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE: https://bit.ly/3eDpnC5

Attendees are invited to submit a question for the panel discussion ahead of the event to ensure that the questions and concerns of our community are given a place during the discussion. Additional questions and comments may be submitted during the event and will be addressed if time allows.

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OTHER EVENTS CELEBRATING ADA 30: This is part of a series of events organized by Oakland For All partners, sponsors, and volunteers to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act including a week-long opportunity to view every film from the Reel Abilities Film Festival (courtesy of Film Pittsburgh) and a Virtual Happy Hour on Saturday, July 25 from 4-6pm to discuss the films and bring our community together.

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SHARE THE EVENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: We also encourage you to share this event on social media by inviting your friends, family, and neighbors to attend! The event can be found on Facebook.

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RESOURCES & SPONSORSHIP: This year’s sponsors include the FISA Foundation, Film Pittsburgh, and Facture. If you or your organization would like to make a donation to support this year’s programming and help us to continue organizing events like this in the future, please contact Mavis Rainey at Oakland Transportation Management Association at mrainey@otma-pgh.org.

We encourage you to explore additional resources from our Oakland For All community of stakeholders and advocates at oaklandforall.org.