Winners Named in da Vinci Accessibility Awards Program

    SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Sept. 21 Six winners were selected from
the nine finalists in the first annual da Vinci Accessibility Awards developed
by ESD The Engineering Society (ESD) and the National Multiple Sclerosis
Society (NMSS) Michigan Chapter, Inc.
    Patricia McDonald, President of the Michigan Chapter of NMSS, and Lawrence
Slimak, Executive Vice President of ESD, announced results of the judging.
    The winners will be honored Sept. 28 at a program called Dinner with
da Vinci at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn.
    The six winners by category are:
    --  Assistive Technology: IBM Home Page Reader.  (A software program
enabling visually impaired persons to surf the web, and send and receive
e-mail)
    --  Facilities: Donald and Susan Miles Home.  (A private residence in
Oakland Township, Michigan, designed to cover a range of potential
disabilities ranging from those associated with the normal aging process to
degenerative disabilities to those requiring assistive care)
    --  Information Technology: iCan.com .  (A Birmingham, Michigan-based web
site providing information and a forum for people with disabilities, developed
by Heidi Van Arnem)
    --  Materials: Cool Thing Fabric.  (A water-permeable fabric developed by
a husband and wife team in Armonk, New York, to provide cooling for people)
    --  Personal Mobility: Michigan State University's Shaw Lane Crossings.
(State-of-the-art pedestrian signals at Michigan State University, East
Lansing, Michigan.  First application of the technology outside of California)
    --  Vehicular Mobility: GM Mobility Center.  (A process which brings
together resources throughout the company to institutional universal design
techniques, enabling widespread information sharing and fast execution to
develop more user friendly vehicles to meet diverse customer needs)
    ESD and NMSS joined forces in this venture to increase awareness and
understanding of the challenges facing people regardless of their physical
ability.
    The program was named after da Vinci because of his efforts to broaden
humanity's horizons, which changed the way people saw the world.  The da Vinci
awards are designed to honor and showcase the individuals and companies
continuing his work through accessibility design innovations, which have
empowered people, regardless of their physical ability.
    The first annual Dinner with da Vinci and awards program is sponsored by
General Motors Corporation.  The collaborative venture of two seemingly
unrelated non-profit organizations is a unique partnership to bring awareness
to the general public of the challenges individuals with physical disabilities
face in their daily lives.
    Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, is the evening's keynote speaker.  G. Richard Wagoner, Jr., General
Motors President and CEO, is Chairman of the Leadership Committee for the
program.

Click here