New York State Assembly to Host Annual Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day
Revolutionary iBOT "Wheelchair" Among Exhibitors

Assemblyman Kevin A. Cahill (D-Kingston), chair of the Task Force on People with Disabilities and Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera (D-Bronx), chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities are jointly sponsoring with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver the 2003 New York State Assembly Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day (LDAD) on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 from 9:00 am to 2:45 pm in Albany.

"Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day is very important because it provides an opportunity to educate legislators and their staffs on important issues while also striving to highlight the accomplishments of advocates and persons with disabilities," Mr. Cahill said. "We also make a tremendous effort to inform everyone present of the latest services, programs, products and technology available to people with disabilities. This year I am particularly excited about LDAD because we have a fantastic assortment of exhibitors and we are including a voter registration drive at the event."

A breakfast for participants of LDAD will be held from 9:00 to 10:00 am in the Well of the Legislative Office Building (LOB) with the opening ceremony beginning at 10:00 am.

Over 60 organizations will be present from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm to distribute information about their products, programs, technology and the services they provide to people with disabilities. This informational exhibit will take place along the walls of the Well of the LOB and in the North Concourse of the Empire State Plaza.

In addition, there will be an exhibit of artwork done by people with disabilities and a technology fair, which will feature the latest high-tech products being made available to the disabilities community. Included in the technology exhibit will be Johnson and Johnson's iBOT, a revolutionary new wheelchair that, among other things, can climb stairs and move through sand.

Four seminars on important disability issues will be held in meeting rooms one and two of the Empire State Plaza. The seminar topics include:

• "The Dos and Don'ts of Delivering Public Hearing Testimony"
• "Making Elections Accessible in New York"
• "Navigating the Medicaid Buy-In Process"
• "The Status of Olmstead in New York"

Finally, a legislative package crafted with significant input from disabilities advocates will be presented on the floor of the Assembly at the tentative time of 11:30 am.