Contact: Patrick Cody (703) 838-7528
pcody@nmha.org

Town Hall Pulls Together Consumers, Advocates and Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (October 30, 2000)   On Wednesday, November 1, James B. Reed, Gore/Lieberman national director for disability outreach, will debate Graham Hill, the Bush/Cheney campaign’s point man on disability policy, at a Town Hall forum at the National Press Club.

Sponsored by the National Mental Health Association and the National Organization on Disability, the Town Hall gives people with disabilities, advocates and reporters an opportunity to grill representatives of the leading candidates for U.S. President on mental health and disability policy issues.   Discussion is expected to touch upon implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, community-based care, mental health parity, and voter accessibility, among other issues.

Physical disability and/or mental illness affect over 54 million Americans.  This year, the National Mental Health Association spearheaded a campaign to register people with mental disabilities to vote.  NMHA will present its candidates’ survey.  The National Organization on Disability will present its latest NOD/Harris Poll results on voting trends among voters with disabilities.