NCD #08–561
July 3, 2008
Contact: Mark S. Quigley
202-272-2004

National Council on Disability to Hold Quarterly Board Meeting in Seattle to Learn Issues Affecting People with Disabilities in Pacific Northwest

WASHINGTON—The National Council on Disability (NCD) will conduct its next quarterly meeting at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel, 515 Madison Street, Seattle, Washington, beginning at 8:30 a.m. PDT on Monday, July 14 and ending at 4:30 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, July 16, 2008. This meeting is open to the public and free of charge.

The purpose of this meeting is for NCD to have open discussions about issues such as the Air Carrier Access Act, emergency preparedness, healthcare, employment, rights of parents with disabilities, regional issues impacting the disability community, accessible transportation, technology, and several other subjects of interest to the disability community.

Some of the many notable speakers include: The Honorable Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor, Seattle, Washington; Anthony Dennis, Counsel, Aetna, Inc.; Toby Olson, Executive Director, Washington State Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment; Barbara Graff, Director, Seattle Office of Emergency Management; Kelly Buckland, Executive Director, Idaho State Independent Living Council; Shawn Murinko, Commissioner, Washington State Human Rights Commission; Lynnae Ruttledge, Director, Washington State Department of Vocational Rehabilitation; Bill Lynch, Executive Director, Oregon State Council on Developmental Disabilities; The Honorable Sam Sullivan, Mayor, Vancouver, British Columbia; Laura Ruby, Senior Strategist, Global Policy and Standards, Microsoft Accessible Technology Group; and Katharine Hunter-Zaworski, Ph.D. P.E., Director, National Center for Accessible Transportation, Oregon State University.

Public comment sessions will be held Monday, July 14 from 9:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. PDT and on Tuesday, July 15 from 4:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. PDT. The toll-free call-in number is 1-800-779-9513, and the pass code is “NCD Meeting.” A reception will be held at the hotel for meeting participants, audience members, and stakeholders from the disability community on Tuesday, July 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. PDT, immediately following the session for the day.

The entire agenda can be found at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/quarterly/2008/agenda_july14-16-08.htm.

NCD is an independent federal agency and is composed of 15 members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. NCD provides advice to the President, Congress, and executive branch agencies to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability, and empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society.

For more information, please contact NCD’s Director of External Affairs Mark S. Quigley at mquigley@ncd.gov or 202-272-2004 or visit www.ncd.gov.

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