MEDIA ADVISORY: Request for Coverage & Attendance  

ABLE PROGRAM & EVENT CONTACT:
Michael Piel: 202-973-7110,

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Lauren Cozzi: 202-973-7114 (direct), LCozzi@ucp.org
Alicia Kubert Smith: 202-973-7168 (direct),  

ABLE happy hour on Wednesday supports life without limits for people with disabilities  

Raffle Prizes Include an iPad, Nats Tickets & Restaurant Vouchers  

Washington, DC (September 13, 2011) – ABLE, the young professionals network of United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), a leading service provider and advocate for children and adults with a spectrum of disabilities, will host the ABLE Young Professionals Network Inaugural Happy Hour, Wednesday, September 14, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., Madhatter DC, 1319 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC.

• WHO:       ABLE, the young professionals network of UCP  

• WHAT:     The ABLE Young Professionals Network Inaugural Happy Hour 
                    will include socializing, drink specials and a raffle with prizes
                    including an iPad, Nats tickets, restaurant vouchers and more!  

• WHEN:     Wednesday, September 14, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.       

• WHERE:   Madhatter DC, 1319 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC.

• COST:      $10 donation

ABLE is a group of young professionals committed to supporting UCP. Members advance UCP’s mission to create a life without limits for people with a spectrum disabilities, and they find opportunities to increase education and awareness of disability issues. There are no membership fees; and, members are asked to support UCP in the following ways:

• *volunteering at local affiliates and in the community;
• *attending social events (happy hours, lecture series, etc.); and
• *participating in fundraising opportunities.

ABLE offers young professionals in the Washington, DC area a chance to network with others who sharing the same passion, allowing them to become knowledgeable on the issues and gain valuable experience. Learn more at ucp.org/about/able.

About United Cerebral Palsy

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. UCP and its nearly 100 affiliates advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with a spectrum of disabilities by providing services and support to more than 176,000 children and adults every day—one person at a time, one family at a time. We work to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, we continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence, allowing people with disabilities to dream their own dreams for the next 60 years, and beyond. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.  

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Stephen Bennett and Mark Perriello
Thursday, September 8, 2011

The debt reduction Supercommittee will hold its first meeting on September 8. As they prepare to start their work, Americans of every background and political orientation are looking to these 12 elected representatives to set aside political gamesmanship and produce a plan that reflects both our nation’s urgent needs and its core values. To accomplish this, the Supercommittee must preserve Medicaid, which provides millions of Americans with disabilities the tools to remain healthy and participate in our communities.

Like all Americans, people with disabilities—and our families and supporters—understand that this nation faces tough fiscal choices. Balancing our budget on the backs of Americans who are already living at the margins is not a viable choice. We stand ready to work with the Supercommittee to formulate a plan that reflects our American values of opportunity, fairness, and basic dignity for all.

 We believe:

• In the deficit-reduction process, we must preserve Medicaid for the people whom it offers a vital lifeline.
   
• The eight million Americans with disabilities who use Medicaid cannot be forgotten. They are brothers and sisters, neighbors, friends and community volunteers.
   
• Medicaid provides many Americans the tools they need to participate fully in community life. Without Medicaid, many Americans would be forced to leave their homes and live in institutions—at greater expense to taxpayers.
   
• Deficit reduction must not result in opportunity reduction for any American: our budget must preserve the critical health and long-term care initiatives that enable eight million persons with disabilities to remain healthy, participate in their communities and live up to their potential.

• America can and must make good on its promise of opportunity for all. Abandoning people in these difficult economic times is tantamount to abandoning our belief in America’s promise of opportunity.
   
• We cannot balance the budget on the backs of Americans who are living at the margins already: those now eligible to receive services must not lose the services on which they rely.
   
• We can balance the budget by being smart and strategic—without denying basic human dignity to the Americans for whom Medicaid is working. We can and must look for cost savings by ensuring that initiatives are operating as efficiently as possible.
   
• We must make every effort to reduce the costs of Medicaid without compromising the ability of recipients to live full and meaningful lives.
   
• We must make every effort and maximize all available resources, including new technologies, to reduce the cost of Medicaid without impairing the quality of the services provided.
   
• Given these important considerations, we are interested in working with policy makers on identifying productive ways to address our nation’s economic rebalancing.

We call upon the members of the Supercommittee to reduce our debt without compromising our values, and we welcome the opportunity to work with you on responsible, common-sense responses to our nation’s fiscal challenges.

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Stephen Bennett is President & CEO of United Cerebral Palsy. 

Mark Perriello is President & CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities.

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Visit ucp.org/public-policy/america-s-super-committee for additional information.

Contacts:

Lauren Cozzi, 202-973-7114,  
Alicia Kubert Smith, 202-973 7168, 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UCP Contacts:
Lauren Cozzi, 202-973-7114,  
Alicia Kubert Smith, 202-973 7168, 

AAPD Contact:
Rebecca Panoff, 202-521-4307,

PRESIDENT OBAMA PRAISED FOR STANDING UP FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES & FAMILIES DURING DEBT CEILING PRESS CONFERENCE

 Washington, D.C. – (July 15, 2011) – United Cerebral Palsy and the American Association of People with Disabilities applaud the President’s statement that debt and deficit reductions “DON'T REQUIRE US TO STOP HELPING FAMILIES WHO HAVE A DISABLED CHILD.”

Statement from United Cerebral Palsy President & CEO, Stephen Bennett, in response to above statement by President Obama:

We applaud the President for calling for solutions that preserve vital lifelines for people with disabilities and their families, who want to continue to contribute to the nation's health and economic recovery. Gutting Medicaid is not the answer to our economic woes, and we thank all those on both sides of the aisle working to defend the most vulnerable in our country.

Statement from American Association of People with Disabilities President & CEO, Mark Perriello, in response to above statement by President Obama:

We commend President Obama for stating that the government doesn’t need to stop helping children with disabilities in order to balance the budget. Without Medicaid, many people with disabilities and their family members would be unable to work and would be forced take public assistance. Slashing Medicaid does not make economic sense and breaks our country’s promise of equal opportunity to its citizens.

President Obama’s statement during this morning’s press conference about debt and deficit reduction talks:

• Video on C-SPAN:  26:36, http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/ObamaonB:
•  “So my general view is that if the American people looked at this, they’d say, boy, some of these decisions are tough, but they don’t require us to gut Medicare or Social Security.  They don’t require us to stop helping young people go to college.  They don’t require us to stop helping families who've got a disabled child…”
• Official transcript from The White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/15/press-conference-president

About United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. Together with nearly 100 affiliates, UCP has a mission to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people disabilities by supporting more than 176,000 children and adults every day—one person at a time, one family at a time. UCP works to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, UCP will continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence, allowing people with disabilities to dream their own dreams, for the next 60 years, and beyond. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.

About The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest cross-disability membership association, organizes the disability community to be a powerful force for change – politically, economically, and socially.  AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national force for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To learn more, visit the AAPD website: www.AAPD.com.

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