The National Disability Forum in Columbus will be the only event of its kind to take place in the country as the November General Election approaches. It was to be webcast nationwide from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Before leaving for Columbus, the Northeast Ohio residents gathered at the Vocational Guidance Services on East 55th Street in Cleveland Saturday morning and held a news conference to emphasize the importance of disability issue in the campaign.
Republican candidate Sen. John McCain has agreed to appear live via satellite for the three hour discussion, which will be staged in front of a live audience at the Veterans Memorial.
Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama will be represented by Senator Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat who was a Senate sponsor the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.
Subjects discussed will include employment, healthcare, transportation, education, long-term community-based supports, and housing. This nonpartisan forum will be moderated by Judy Woodruff.
Those who could not attend in person were invited to watch at a webcast location in Cleveland, at Vocational Guidance Services, 2235 East 55th Street, a physically accessible location.
The Cleveland event is free, open to the public, and will feature displays and information from the sponsoring organizations. The Web cast itself will run from 12:30 - 3:30 p.m and include real-time captioning and sign language interpreting.
The webcast can also be accessed by clicking on the link provided with this story.
WKYC-TV