Road to Freedom

Purpose

Road To Freedom Bus Stops: Purpose

1. To increase public awareness of the compelling history of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the people’s movement that is the disability rights movement.

(See “A History of the ADA: A Movement Perspective” at: http://www.empowermentzone.com/ada_hist.txt and http://www.dbtac.vcu.edu/whatsada-history.aspx)

2. To educate the general public, members of the disability community, and policymakers regarding unfulfilled promise of the ADA and the weakening of disability rights protections in the courts.

(See “Failing to Fulfill the ADA’s Promise and Intent” at: http://c-c-d.org/task_forces/rights/ada/ADA%20cases%20memo-Fulfilling%20the%20Promise.pdf )

3. To mobilize members of the disability community and the mainstream public to take action, contact policymakers and the media, and build support for passage of the ADA Restoration Act.

(See NCD’s “Righting the ADA” at: http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2004/righting_ada.htm)

The Road To Freedom is a national awareness campaign inspired by the historic journey of Justin and Yoshiko Dart who traveled America to mobilize support for passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Our year-long, cross-country bus journey launched from Washington, DC on November 15th, 2006 and aims to engage audiences across the United States in the story of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the history of the disability rights movement. We hope to mobilize Americans to keep the promise of the ADA – freedom, inclusion, and opportunity for children and adults with physical, mental, cognitive and developmental disabilities.

Throughout this journey, national and state disability leaders will be joined by young people with disabilities, family members and others in a campaign to restore and strengthen the ADA.

Here’s how we’ll get the word out:

• The Road to Freedom Bus will stop at more than 80 locations nationwide, from state capitals to disability conferences to sporting events to malls and parades.

• In partnership with local leaders, we are holding press conferences, doing radio shows and TV interviews highlighting both the obstacles —and the victories— of Americans with disabilities.

• The tour will visit schools and colleges to design youth curriculum, working with our partners, the National Youth Leadership Network.

• The Road To Freedom exhibit features Tom Olin’s historical photographs of the struggle for disability rights. Olin’s work has been featured at the Smithsonian Institute. The exhibit also includes a narrative of the grassroots history of the ADA as written by Arlene Mayerson of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF).

The Road To Freedom bus tour and traveling exhibit is a project of ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR), an alliance of hundreds of disability, civil rights and social justice organizations founded by disability rights advocate, Jim Ward.