In honor of the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a coalition of 13 local disability organizations will hold a free celebration at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., on Tuesday, July 26.

The event, “ADA 15 Years Strong: Then, Now and Beyond,” will feature entertainment, exhibitors from local organizations, educational group sessions, food and presentations, including a talk by NBC correspondent John Hockenberry.

Hockenberry is a Peabody and Emmy-award winning journalist and correspondent for Dateline NBC. As a result of a car accident in 1976, Hockenberry severed his spinal cord and became paralyzed below his chest. His book, “Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs and Declarations of Independence,” is a memoir on living with a disability and how disability is perceived in society. He will be delivering the afternoon keynote address.

Barry Taylor, Legal Advocacy Director at Equip for Equality, Inc., the Illinois Protection and Advocacy system, will give the event’s opening presentation. Taylor will discuss how far the ADA has come in 15 years and his visions for the future.

In addition to the presentations, six educational group sessions will take place throughout the day. The session includes topics on: aging and disability; mental health issues in the workplace; reasonable accommodations at work; accessible web design; and, understanding Social Security and emergency preparedness for people with disabilities.

The celebration is open and free to the public. For more information about the event, contact ADA Minnesota at 651-603-2015.

The event has been made possible by a generous donation from Cargill and by the activities of the coalition. The coalition includes: ADA Minnesota; VSA Arts Minnesota; ARC Hennepin-Carver; Institute on Community Integration; Access Press; Dept. of Human Services; MCIL; MN State Council on Disability; National MS Society; Minnesota Chapter; SMILES Center; State of Minnesota; and, UCP Minnesota.