(Newswire.net — March 24, 2014) , — Washington DC — Dr Teri Rouse recently attended the American Association of People with Disabilities Awards Gala in Washington DC with Board Member and former California House of Representative Tony Coelho, the principal author of the American’s with Disabilities Act.
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, honored Talila Lewis and Jason DaSilva the winners of the prestigious 2014 Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award.
Talila Lewis is the Founder and President of Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the Deaf (“HEARD”), an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that promotes equal access to the legal system for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. Through Talila’s leadership, and with the support of the community, HEARD has considerably advanced the rights of the deaf in the legal and corrections settings with no office, no employees, and a limited budget.
Director Jason DaSilva has been a prolific filmmaker for the past 10 years. He has directed four short films and two feature-length documentary films. Many of his films have won awards; OLIVIA’S PUZZLE premiered at the 2003 Sundance Festival and qualified for an Academy Award. Three of his films had national broadcasts on PBS, HBO, and CBC. DaSilva’s latest film, WHEN I WALK, which captures DaSilva’s transformative experience living with multiple sclerosis, was an official selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and won Best Canadian Feature at HotDocs 2013. Following the film’s theatrical release this fall, it will air on POV on PBS in 2014
Jenni Gold, Director Member of the Directors Guild of America and founder of Gold Pictures was presented the AAPD Image Award given to those in the media whose leadership has helped improve the lives of people with disabilities and the way they are perceived by society.
Dr Teri Rouse also met with current AAPD Board Chair Fred Maahs (President of Comcast Corp), Immediate Past Chair Joyce Bender (Bender Consulting Services, Inc) and Para Olympian John Register.
The ADA’s goals of full participation, independent living, economic self-sufficiency, and equal opportunity by promoting access to education from preschool through post-graduate work are just some of the areas that Dr Rouse and Tony Coelho are anticipating further collaboration. They intend to find and expand ways to take a comprehensive approach to educational access, including advocacy, partnerships with educational institutions, and programs designed to break down barriers to education.
More information and photos can be found at: http://drterirouse.com/