BATAVIA, Ohio — The Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities marked the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Sunday, using the occasion to spotlight the county agency’s work supporting residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The ADA, signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990, was the nation’s first comprehensive civil rights law barring discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, schools, transportation and public accommodations, according to the National Archives. Bush signed the bill on the White House South Lawn before more than 3,000 disability advocates after Congress passed it by wide margins in both chambers. The date is now marked nationally each year as Disability Independence Day.
In a Facebook post marking the anniversary, the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities said stronger communities are built “when every ability is valued, every voice is heard, and every person belongs.”
The agency, headquartered on U.S. 50 in Batavia, provides services across the lifespan for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to its website. Programs include early intervention for infants and toddlers, preschool and school-age programming through the Thomas A. Wildey School, transition services for teens and young adults, adult services and behavioral health support. The agency describes its mission as empowering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through “personalized support, access to essential services, and trusted guidance,” with the goal of fostering independence and community inclusion.
The agency’s anniversary post also carried the branding of Kiwanis International, a service organization whose motto is “Serving the Children of the World.”
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities.