EEOC CELEBRATES DECADE OF ENFORCING TITLE I OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

Commission to Present Resolution Honoring the Late Justin Dart Jr.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 with a resolution honoring the late Justin Dart, Jr. for his lifelong advocacy of civil rights for people with disabilities.  A one-hour program will take place on Friday, July 26, 11:00 a.m., at Commission Headquarters, 1801 L Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

The event also marks one decade since the EEOC assumed responsibility for enforcing the employment provisions of the ADA.  Title I of the federal statute, which protects qualified employees and applicants with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments, was implemented in 1992.

"Justin Dart, Jr.'s legacy lives on in the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Commission is proud to pay tribute to Mr. Dart, whose commitment and passion on behalf of all people with disabilities underlie the work that we do every day in enforcing Title I of the ADA," said Chair Cari M. Dominguez.

Mr. Dart was at President George H.W. Bush's side in 1990, along with the late Evan J. Kemp, Jr., then-Chairman of the EEOC, when the President signed the landmark ADA on the White House South Lawn.  Lex Frieden, a prominent disability rights leader, will accept the resolution on behalf of the Dart family and deliver a keynote address.  Mr. Frieden is the President of Rehabilitation International and Senior Vice President of the Institute for Rehabilitation & Research in Houston, Texas.

Two additional speakers will offer perspectives on the ADA.  Deidre A. Davis is a former head of the EEOC's ADA Technical Assistance Division.  Kim Borowicz, an undergraduate at Michigan State University (MSU), is President of the MSU Council of Students with Disabilities and an intern at the American Association of People with Disabilities, an organization that Justin Dart, Jr. helped to establish in 1995.

Press are requested to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the event for security clearance.  An escort from the Office of Communications may be contacted upon arrival by calling extension 4900 from the main lobby telephone.

In addition to Title I of the ADA, the EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the Equal Pay Act; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973's prohibitions against disability discrimination in the federal government; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.  Further information about the Commission is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.