Florida Association for the Deaf (FAD) Slates Tampa for 2003 Convention
FAD will host its 2003 convention at the Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore from
June 12 - 14, 2003. The event, which is hosted by St. Petersburg Association
of the Deaf, Inc. (SPAD), will offer a variety of workshops and seminars for
all ages, as well as pre-conference workshops related to the ADA. It will also
feature a dedication of Florida's Deaf Hall of Fame & Who's Who in Deaf
Florida. Other activities include a larger and exciting expo of technology,
services, crafts and novelties as well as an exclusive golf tournament and casino
cruise.Child care and children's activities will also be available.
Questions can be addressed by contacting Terry Dickson at dreamteam tampa@earthlink.net
or Chris Wagner at CWagner@dscph.org.
FDOA Gearing Up for Sportsability in Jacksonville
The Florida Disabled Outdoors Association is proud to announce the expansion
of its premier program - SPORTSABILITY - to Jacksonville for the third year.
The event will be held Friday, October 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Prime
F. Osborne III Convention Center and Saturday, October 12, from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. at Victory Lake. There is no charge for the two-day event, which targets
people with any type of disability, their families and friends. Friday's activities
include indoor sports and lecture clinics, wheelchair, adaptive golf, tennis
and basketball demonstration clinics and a disability information expo. Saturday
attendees can enjoy sit-down water skiing, sailing, kayaking, pontoon boat ride
and fishing, as well as hand-pedaled biking, archery and therapeutic horseback
riding. Sportsability 2002 Jacksonville is hosted by the City of Jacksonville
Disabled Services Division, as well as a grant from the Brooks Health Foundation,
Jacksonville.
For more information, please contact David Jones at 850-668-7323/ fdoa@nettally.com
or Margy Lang at 904-262-1722/marketsprt@aol.com.
Recycle Old Cell Phones
A new program, announced by Christopher Reeve, Vice Chairman, National Organization
on Disability (NOD), aims to collect old cell phones to be recycled or resold
with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the N.O.D. and Easter Seals. Marlee
Matlin, award winning actress, will serve as the campaign spokeswoman. To donate
an old cell phone to the Sprint Project Connect, drop off cell phones at any
Sprint Store or Easter Seals location. A list of sites can be found on the NOD
website at www.nod.org.
Able Trust VP of Public Relations Elected President of Tallahassee
PR Association
The Able Trust's Vice President of Public Relations, Kristen Knapp, was recently
elected president of the Capital Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association
(FPRA). Knapp is Accredited in Public Relations and has been with The Able Trust
for more than 5 years. She will serve a 1-year term as president of the local
chapter, overseeing the 10-member board and one hundred plus chapter members.
As president she will also serve on the board of directors for the state association
of FPRA.
Able Trust Staff Takes Courses in Sign Language
The Able Trust staff has spent the summer taking Sign Language classes thanks
to the Center for Independent Living of North Florida. Staff is learning the
basics of ASL in an effort to better communicate with the deaf community.
"We have so many people from the deaf community who participate in our
Youth Leadership Forum, Symposium and other events that we felt it was important
to learn Sign Language," said Sharon Griffith, president/CEO.
Special thanks to Lisa McKinnie of the CILNF for providing instruction during
the summer course.
ADA Information Available
The Department of Justice (DOJ) operates a toll-free information line to provide
the public with ADA requirements, answers to technical questions, free publications
and information about filing complaints. The phone lines are manned from 10:00
a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and from 1:00
p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The numbers are 800-541-0301 (Voice) and 800-514-0383
(TDD). These services are also available in Spanish.