DCAD 2010

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Roar of the crowd and chants of the march resonate in Sacramento for Disability Capitol Action Day 2010

An estimated 2200 disability advocates and allies turned out for an intensive 6 hours of marching, rallying and educating about the Governor's intended cuts to services, interspersed with dancing, singing and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the linchpin of their rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act. Some of the chants of the morning march that met with roars of approval from the crowd were: "They got bailed out, we got sold out, " "I want a choice, I want a voice," "Si se puede, yes I can," We're here, we're loud, we're disabled and proud," "Olmstead now, community services save lives," and the watchword of the disability rights movement, "Nothing about us without us."

Disability Rights California staff went all out to support the event, which is organized annually by the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers(CFILC), with assistance from other organizational members of the Disability Action Coalition. Our outreach staff had tables of materials for free distribution, while the executive director and staff of our Legislative and Public Information Unit attended hearings on the Governor's budget, and a team from the Oakland and Sacramento offices interviewed and photographed some of the diverse participants in the event.

Highlights of the May 26 program ranged from insights of leaders who started the disability rights movement in Berkeley in the 1970s and helped pass the ADA in 1990, to legislators who are leading today's defense against cuts in California disability services, to tomorrow's leaders drawn from the youth group, "Yo! Disabled and Proud," sponsored by CFILC. Capitol Action Day is the state's largest disability advocacy event, annually serving as both an organizing force for participation in the budget process and as an opportunity for training in civic participation and civil rights.