Izabel Estrin of Putney, Hannah Gallivan of Bristol, and Sean Plumer of Huntington will each receive a Deborah Lisi-Baker Youth Leader Award from the Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL) during a celebration of the 32nd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on Tuesday, July 26, at the Capitol Plaza.
This year's award ceremony is particularly memorable as the disability community has been mourning the loss of Lisi-Baker after her unexpected death earlier this year.
Lisi-Baker had spent much of her life advocating for the human and civil rights of people with disabilities and had served as VCIL's executive director for many years until retiring in 2009. She continued to serve on many disability advocacy boards right up until her passing.
“I'm always so humbled by the work that young people in our movement are taking on,” said VCIL Executive Director Sarah Launderville in a news release. “They are leaders now and are often put in a category of seeking mentors, when they are the ones mentoring us and the future of the movement. We are hoping community members can come out and help us celebrate.”
The award ceremony will be part of the ADA celebration immediately following a Congressional Forum on Disability Justice moderated by Peter Hirschfeld. Both events are open to the public but require pre-registration at tinyurl.com/VT32ADA. The forum will start at 1:15 p.m., with the ADA Celebration at 3 p.m.