ADA at 25: Show me the Incredible

     The Holocaust and Human Rights Center (HHRC) is proud to present an exhibit dedicated to the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The exhibit, which will be held at the Michael Klahr Center on the campus of the University of Maine at Augusta will be displayed From January 17th through March 13th, 2015.The ADA at 25 exhibit includes an overview of the ADA and 504 Federal legislation, some important artifacts and stories relating to the treatment and care of people with disabilities in Maine prior to the 504 and ADA, and stories created by Oral History and Folklife, Inc. from ten Maine individuals who have been touched by the passage of the ADA.The centerpiece of the exhibit will celebrate the creativity that has been unleashed by the expansion of services and support since the passage of the ADA. The exhibit includes visual arts and poems created by members of Spindleworks in Brunswick. The Linc Wellness Center in Augusta, the Waterville Social Club, and the Charlotte White Center in Dover-Foxcroft, among other sources. The subtitle of the show, Show Me The Incredible, is taken from one of the poems written by a member of the Linc Wellness Center, in a series called LincWords, created with Maine poet Lee Sharkey.“The goal of this exhibit is to celebrate the effects of the passage of the ADA. We also use historical artifacts to help tell the stories of Mainers whose experiences lead to reforming the way people with disabilities have been treated in our history,” said David Greenham, Program Director of the HHRC.“We feel the exhibit captures the spirit that was exhibited when President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA in the summer of 1990,” said Greenham. President Bush said, “We embrace you for your abilities and for your disabilities, for our similarities and indeed for our differences, for your past courage and your future dreams.”The ADA at 25: Show Me The Incredible will hold an opening celebration from 2 – 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 15th and will include a program of discussion and presentations by some of the artists beginning at 3:30. Snacks and drinks will be provided.The exhibit has received support and contributions from Oral History and Folklife, Inc., Spindleworks, Linc Wellness Center and the Waterville Social Club, the Charlotte White Center, The Maine Department of Labor’s Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, The Maine State Museum, The Disability Rights Center, Alpha One, UMA’s Learning Support and Counseling Services, The Maine Historical Society, The Maine State Archives, The Perkins School, The American School for the Deaf, the Maine Legislative Law Library, MaineCITE, and many individuals. In addition, the project has received the financial support of the Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Humanities Council, UMA’s Student Government Association, and the UMA Presidential Mini-grant program.The ADA at 25: Show Me The Incredible will be open Monday through Friday, 10 am to 4 p.m. through Friday, March 13th or by appointment. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call the HHRC at (207) 621-3530. 

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