Bloomington Council for Community Accessibility Presents 2014 Annual Awards

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 29, 2014

For more information, please contact:

Lucy Schaich, Program Assistant, City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department, 349.3433

Katie Herron, Chair, Council for Community Accessibility, kgherron08@gmail.com

Bloomington Council for Community Accessibility Presents Annual Awards

Bloomington, Ind. - The City of Bloomington Council for Community Accessibility (CCA) recognized organizations and individuals committed to making Bloomington more accessible to people with disabilities at the CCA Annual Awards Ceremony, held Monday, Oct. 27, at the Fountain Square Ball Room.

The following award recipients were recognized for outstanding service:

Self-Advocacy Award: Cori Mitchell, for her tireless energy and persistence in her ongoing recovery and advocacy for others facing similar struggles

Professional and Community Service Award: Mary Frasier, for diligently and continually creating opportunities at the Monroe County Public Library to make the library and community more accessible for individuals with autism and their families

Business Service Award: J.D. Boruff and Barb Dunbar of the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, for providing unparalleled support and accommodations to make Stone Belt crew members feel that they are an integral part of the day-to-day operations

Kristin Willison Volunteer Service Award: Trish Ierino, for her resolute passion and for being a positive force as a volunteer and president of the Stone Belt Board of Directors

Mayor's Award: Allison Pack, for her 28 years as a valued leader and tireless advocate for individuals supported by Stone Belt

Special Recognition: Katie Herron, Chair of the Council for Community Accessibility, presented a special recognition award to Craig Brenner, who recently retired as the long-time City staff liaison to the CCA, thanking him for his years of dedication and work on behalf of the Council.

In addition to the awards, five local businesses were also presented with AccessAbility Decals. In order to obtain an AccessAbility decal, a business must pass an accessibility screening, conducted by CCA volunteers, that checks ADA compliance for parking; path of travel; entrance; elevators, stairs and railings; common areas; restrooms; and customer service. Representatives from Indiana Legal Services, the new Bloomington Transit Downtown Transportation Center, Oliver Winery Downtown, Petsmart, and Starbucks West were each presented with a decal to display on their storefront. These decal recipients join the nine other businesses that have received a decal in 2014, including Bloomingfoods Elm Heights, Bloomingfoods Ivy Tech, Chick-fil-A, Feast Market & Cellar, Function Brewing, Global Gifts, Mr. Hibachi, Premier Healthcare and Shalom Community Center.

The ceremony included an educational keynote presentation by Kathie Snow, expert on the subject of disability and author of Disability is Natural. Snow is a wife and mother, as well as an author, public speaker, trainer and consultant. She is the parent of two young adults, one of whom has a disability diagnosis, and she combines her earlier career in the media with personal experiences in the disability arena to ignite positive and long-lasting change.

The Awards Ceremony was presented by the City of Bloomington's Community and Family Resources Department, along with the following sponsors: CFC Properties, City of Bloomington Community & Family Resources Department, City of Bloomington Human Rights Commission, Down Syndrome Family Connection, e2Taxi, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, IU Credit Union, Ivy Tech Community College, Kappa Kappa Sigma Philanthropic Sorority Iota Chapter, Kiwanis of Bloomington, LifeDesigns, Inc., Oliver Winery, Southern Indiana Center for Independent Living, Stone Belt and United Way of Monroe County.

For more information about nominations or the CCA, contact Lucy Schaich at cca@bloomington.in.gov or 349.3433.

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