eSight Community News

All U.S. cities and towns were eligible to enter the Competition. In an afternoon ceremony at City Hall, Cambridge Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves was on hand to accept the Accessible America top prize from N.O.D. President Michael Deland and Vice President Nancy Starnes.

Cambridge surpassed dozens of competing towns, cities, and counties nationwide whose mayors or chief elected officials submitted applications describing their community-wide efforts to be welcoming and accessible to persons with disabilities. Cambridge is being heralded as a model for its focus on disability issues and its successful design of programs, services and facilities that are accessible for all citizens and visitors. According to the U.S. Census, more than 14 percent of the city's residents have physical, mental, sensory or psychiatric disabilities.

N.O.D.'s Community Partnership Program, through a generous grant from UPS, administers the $25,000 cash prize in the Accessible America Competition. The money, presented to the mayor, encourages further progress and will be used to fund local disability-related efforts.

Cambridge's thoughtful and welcoming attitude impressed the Accessible America Competition judges, five leading national disability advocates and experts. Through its Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the city encourages participation in social life, shopping and dining with a Façade Improvement Program, which offers matching grants to help sales or service establishments remove access barriers. In addition, over two dozen city parks and playgrounds have been made accessible.

The Office of Tourism and Chamber of Commerce publishes and disseminates guides that include access information. The city's public transportation system is fully accessible, and Cambridge provides seven wheelchair accessible taxis, as well as a Taxi Discount Coupon Program to expand transportation options for persons with disabilities. Citizens with disabilities serve on the local Emergency Planning Committee and work closely with Cambridge emergency management staff and public health planners to ensure that emergency preparedness planning activities effectively meet the access, communication, and program needs of residents with disabilities.

Cambridge's faith communities play a particularly important role in addressing the city's demographically diverse population. More than 31 per cent of the City's residents speak a language other than English at home and more than 25 per cent are foreign born. Cambridge created an outreach program to some ninety Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other religious congregations in the City to help them make their facilities, programs and services accessible to all worshipers with disabilities.

"Cambridge finished at the top of a group of outstanding applicants," said N.O.D. President Michael R. Deland. "I hope other communities will be inspired by Cambridge's example, as well as all of the distinguished winners of this award. Communities should strive to become more livable for everyone, including those of us with disabilities. It is exciting that so many cities and towns nationwide are committed to our goal of full participation for America's 54 million people with disabilities in all aspects of life."

Accessible America Competition applicants are asked to demonstrate an exceptional commitment to offering their citizens with disabilities full and equal opportunities to participate in community life, including access to jobs, education, religious worship, voting, transportation, housing, emergency preparedness planning and services, and the entire range of social, recreational, cultural, and sports activities. A call for entries in the 2006 Accessible America Competition will be issued in celebration of the 16th anniversary of the signing of Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 2006.

The National Organization on Disability, founded in 1982, promotes the full and equal participation and contribution of America's 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life. For more information, including how communities can join the Community Partnership Program or enter this year's Competition, visit http://www.nod.org.

The Accessible America Award is made possible by a generous grant from UPS. For more information, contact UPS' Corporate Relations Department. Malcolm Berkley, 404-828-6159, or Paula Fulford, 404-828-4242.

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For more information, contact:

Nancy Starnes
National Organization on Disability
202/293-5960
starnesn@nod.org