News Advisory: The National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.), which is conducting a major national campaign to assure that Americans with disabilities have full political rights and are involved in the political process, is the lead plaintiff in a suit being filed Thursday in Philadelphia. Nine Philadelphians with disabilities, fed up by a city that has one of the lowest rates of accessible voting booths in the nation and by the fact that the city government is purchasing new voting machines that cannot be used by disabled voters, are also plaintiffs in the suit, along with the Pennsylvania chapters of the National Council of the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind. The goals of the suit are to force Philadelphia to commit to a date by which all polling places will be made accessible and to require the city to purchase "touch-screen" voting systems that are accessible. The National Organization on Disability is the lead plaintiff in the suit; the organization's Director of Political Participation, Jim Dickson, will address the media along with the local plaintiffs and lawyers Thomas Earle of the Disabilities Law Project and Stephen Gold at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, shortly after the suit is filed. What: Press conference to announce a lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia Who: -- Plaintiff Jessie Jane Lewis and eight other local plaintiffs -- N.O.D. Director of Political Participation Jim Dickson -- Attorneys for the plaintiffs Where: Liberty Resources, Inc., 1341 North Delaware Ave., Philadelphia When: 10:30 a.m., Thursday, April 19 Why: People with disabilities registered and voted in record numbers during the 2000 election cycle; however, most polling places in Philadelphia remain inaccessible to voters with disabilities. Also, the city is purchasing new voting machines that do not adequately accommodate voters with disabilities, including those who are blind or have limited hand control. ----- 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. N.O.D. is funded entirely by private donations and accepts no government funding. For more information visit www.nod.org. -- -- Marta Russell author, Los Angeles, CA http://disweb.org/ Beyond Ramps: Disability at the End of the Social Contract http://www.commoncouragepress.com/russell_ramps.html ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-~> ClubMom is the first free organization dedicated to rewarding and celebrating Moms! Join today - it's free - and get your chance to win in our $5,000 Family Vacation Sweepstakes! http://us.click.yahoo.com/Cb4mCA/TFaCAA/tvCFAA/7zNVlB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN-ANNOUNCE: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network - Event Announcements --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?subject=laamn-news> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn-announce> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- <http://home.labridge.com/~laamn> | LAAMN | <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
