BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 The City of Bethlehem will commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with a panel discussion and the city\u2019s first Disability Pride flag raising on Saturday, July 26th.<\/p>\n
The Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law on July 26th, 1990, prohibits discrimination based on disability and requires accommodations in employment, public services, public accommodations, and telecommunications.<\/p>\n
The idea for the event, titled \u201cReflecting on Progress, Advancing Accessibility: A Panel on Disability Rights in Bethlehem,\u201d came directly from Mayor Reynolds, according to Janine Santoro, moderator, organizer, and Director of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Bethlehem.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The panel will feature six speakers discussing accessibility issues and ongoing advocacy work in the Lehigh Valley. The panel will run from 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM in the Cohen Room at the Bethlehem Area Public Library, located at 11 W. Church St. <\/p>\n
A flag-raising ceremony will follow on Payrow Plaza from 12:20 to 12:30 PM.<\/p>\n
The event builds on existing disability advocacy work in the community. Santoro noted that last year\u2019s programming by Touchstone Theater \u201creally highlighted the voices of our disabled community\u201d and helped inspire the current initiative. \u201cI thought it would be really good to honor those conversations, knowing that they\u2019re already starting in the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The timing is particularly relevant as the city works on its accessibility initiatives. \u201cWe\u2019re doing our own 40 and 10 plan with our parks, and we\u2019re trying to figure out how we can make them more accessible,\u201d Santoro explained. \u201cThere\u2019s so many questions around accessibility, and I thought it would be a good idea to gather some partners that are either in those advocacy organizations or are disabled themselves and really leading on the work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The panel was carefully curated to represent diverse perspectives. Among the featured speakers are Shane Burcaw, Hannah Burcaw, and Sarah Burcaw from Laughing at My Nightmare, Inc., a nonprofit organization that utilizes humor to change perceptions of disability.<\/p>\n
Shane Burcaw, who has spinal muscular atrophy, is an author and advocate from Bethlehem who founded the organization. The Burcaws will be participating virtually.<\/p>\n
Other panelists include Brenda A. Solitario from the Bethlehem Area School District, who brings expertise in ADA compliance in public education and the evolution toward more inclusive practices for students with disabilities.<\/p>\n
Rain Black and Robin Gow from Queer & Trans Lehigh Valley were selected because \u201cthey really explore a lot about intersectionality\u2014that life as an LGBT and disabled person might look a little different and have different kinds of challenges,\u201d Santoro explained.<\/p>\n
Michael Freeman is a visually disabled artist and educator who \u201cis doing this really meaningful work for the disabled community but also for anybody that wants to educate themselves on how to create more accessible spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bitty and Beau\u2019s Coffee is a national chain and \u201chuman rights movement disguised as a coffee shop\u201d that employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Santoro said Colleen Dorsey, of the Bethlehem franchise, \u201ccan speak to inclusive work practices, and dismantling the thought that \u2018being inclusive is so hard\u2019.<\/p>\n
Ashley Patete, the accessibility coordinator of The Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living,\u00a0 is \u201cvery, very active in the community\u201d and \u201cone of the top resources when people are looking towards anything around accessibility.\u201d LVCIL provides services to help people with disabilities live independently in their communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The event itself was designed with accessibility in mind from the beginning. \u201cI wanted to be very intentional that the program itself was going to be accessible and inclusive, and that wasn\u2019t going to be an afterthought,\u201d Santoro said.<\/p>\n
The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is providing ASL interpreters for the event, while Lehigh University Art Galleries is contributing sensory kits for attendees who might need them. The library will also have a quiet space available for those who need to take a break.<\/p>\n
For Santoro, the event represents more than just a one-time commemoration. \u201cWhenever the city leads an event like this, it\u2019s never so that the city will just always be the lead on that event,\u201d she said. \u201cThe goal is always to make sure that the community knows that spaces like Payrow Plaza\u2014that\u2019s their space, that we share the governmental space with them, that their voices should be centered in the programs and the policies that come out of our office.\u201d<\/p>\n
The flag-raising ceremony will feature speakers from partner organizations, including Carmen Bell from United Way, Elise Shaffer from the Lehigh University Art Galleries, and Jace Pooley, a Bethlehem teen and SEEN (Spellers Empowering Education for Nonspeakers) advocate.<\/p>\n
The event is supported by several local organizations, including the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh University Art Galleries, the Bethlehem Human Relations Commission, the Bethlehem Area Public Library, and SEEN (Spellers Empowering Education for Nonspeakers).<\/p>\n
Registration is available online<\/a> or by calling 610-867-3761. Those needing specific accommodations can call Santoro\u2019s office at 610-865-7132. The event is free and open to the public.<\/p>\n
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