A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

   FOR RELEASE                                Contact:  Jim Bradshaw    November 28, 1994                                  (202) 401-2310

LULAC AWARDED FEDERAL GRANT TO HELP INFORM HISPANICS ABOUT AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

To help Hispanics better understand their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Education Department has awarded a three-year $750,000 grant to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

"This is the largest single effort made by a federal agency to inform Hispanics about their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act," said Judith Heumann, assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services.

The act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government services, public transportation, public accommodations, commercial facilities and telecommunications.

About 3.3 million Hispanics in the U.S. have some disability, according to the Census Bureau.

Broadcast and print messages will be developed under the grant to inform Hispanics with disabilities about the law and their rights.

LULAC will recruit and train Hispanics directly in the application of the law. Throughout the project, the organization plans to use Hispanics with disabilities in its activities.

The grant is being made by the department's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).

LULAC will receive $250,000 each year for three years.

NIDRR is an agency of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.