The Greater Peoria Mass Transit District (GPMTD) is excited to announce that it is hosting its inaugural WOW! ADA CELEBRATION & RESOURCE FAIR on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 from 5pm to 7pm at the Peoria Civic Center (Exhibit Room C). The event is FREE to the public and will be a celebration of the 32nd Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and offer valuable resources to the local ADA community.
Vendors will be available to provide information on their services and products and hand out free giveaways to attendees. GPMTD’s transportation services—CityLink (fixed route), CityLift (paratransit) and CountyLink (rural)—will have vehicles on-site to showcase their accessibility features. Light Hors D’oeuvres will be served.
The GPMTD ADA Committee, chaired by GPMTD Board Trustee Patti Sterling Polk, is spearheading this event. Other members of this committee include GPMTD/CityLink staff, Transdev staff, representatives from Advocates for Access, Central Illinois Agency on Aging, Community Workshop and Training Center (CWTC), EP!C , OSF Senior World, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, and community members.
“When I joined the GPMTD Board and was selected by my fellow board members to chair the ADA Committee, I knew I wanted to engage the committee with new and fresh ideas to get the members’ creative juices flowing,” said Trustee Polk. “One of the goals of this committee is to serve as an informed advocate for individuals with physical, medical, mental, and cognitive disabilities, and ensure non-discriminatory and accessible transportation. We wanted to come up with a way to promote the committee and the wonderful work being done by our committee members and their respective organizations to the public. That is how the idea of hosting an ADA resource fair became a reality. We want this event to meet a need in the Peoria area by offering to provide the local ADA community of all ages with important and useful ADA resources,” continued Trustee Polk.
The July 26 date was chosen for the event because it is the anniversary of when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. The pandemic prevented a proper celebration the ADA anniversary the past two years, and it is with great enthusiasm that the GPMTD ADA Committee and staff plan for this inaugural event in just a few short weeks. It is FREE to the public and all are welcome. The committee encourages individuals with a disability and/or their loved ones to attend.
Information on the WOW! ADA CELEBRATION & RESOURCE FAIR is available by visiting www.ridecitylink.org/mobility/adaevent.