Office of the Mayor

Proclamation

Lawrence, Kansas

WHEREAS:   Fifteen years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act, landmark civil rights legislation, was enacted to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities; and

WHEREAS:   The Americans with Disabilities Act recognized and made the law of the land, the premise that every person with a disability has the right to live independently and to fully participate in all aspects of our society, including our schools, our businesses, and our communities; and

WHEREAS:   The Lawrence community continues to demonstrate its commitment to the spirit and intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act with the ongoing public education and enforcement work of the Lawrence Human Rights Commission and in City of Lawrence services and programs;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Dennis “Boog” Highberger, Mayor of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, July 26, 2005 as the

“FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE

 AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT”

and call upon people with disabilities, public officials, business leaders, and all Americans to pursue the Americans with Disabilities Act full promise of equal opportunity and to celebrate the expanded freedom that the Americans with Disabilities Act has brought to our lives.

                                                          Dennis “Boog” Highberger

                                                          Mayor

July 26, 2005