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Open Doors Organization Awards
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SATH Access to Freedom Award
The Access to Freedom Award, given annually at the ASTA World Travel Congress, is the highest honor awarded by the Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH). It recognizes the individual or organization that has made the greatest strides in the past year in creating economic opportunities for persons with disabilities in the travel industry and promoting awareness of and access for travelers with disabilities. ODO's director, Eric Lipp, was awarded the Access to Freedom Award in 2003. The first such award was given in 1994 at the ASTA World Congress in Lisbon, Spain, to President George Bush for his signing into law of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
SATH, the Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality, founded in 1976 by Murray Vidockler, CTC, is an educational non-profit (501C3) organization whose mission is to raise awareness of the needs of all travelers with disabilities, remove physical and attitudinal barriers to free access and expand travel opportunities in the United States and worldwide.
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Commitment to Diversity Award
Each year at the Annual Chancellor’s Student Service and Leadership Awards program the University of Illinois- Chicago (UIC) recognizes its students and faculty and the organizations they partner with for the services they offer to the UIC community and to other communities outside of the university’s walls. One of the awards, the Commitment to Diversity Award recognizes an individual, an event, or an organization that provides a forum for cultural awareness, understanding, and education to occur. “The award is designed to recognize an innovative approach to diversity awareness and efforts that go above and beyond in making a difference.” This year the Girl Scouts' disability awareness fair "More Alike Than Different", coordinated by Theresa Pacione, ODO's Program Director, received the 2003-2004 Commitment to Diversity Award at UIC’s 32nd annual awards ceremony held at the close of the academic year.
The disability awareness fair brought together artists, activists, and volunteers from the university and major disability organizations across the city. Through games, exhibits, demonstrations and hands-on activities the girl scouts learned about various issues and aspects of disability including disability history, culture and art; myths and stereotypes, assistive devices; alternative forms of communications; hidden disabilities; and advocacy. The objectives of the program were to increase the knowledge of young people about disability, to demystify the experience of disability, to encourage participants to examine their attitudes about disability, and to enhance social skills that encourage friendships between disabled and non-disabled youth. In March of 2003 one hundred and eighty girl scouts participated in the program and earned the “More Alike than Different” badge.
In the nominating statement the contributions of the advisory committee, the planning committee, and twenty-nine volunteers were noted including the efforts of students and staff from UIC, the Y.I.E.L.D program at Access Living, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The Girl Scouts of Chicago and the Open Doors Organization were acknowledged for spearheading the program in 2003 and for their commitment to offer an expanded program with a year-long focus on disability in 2004-2005.
Open Doors Organization received an award on Dec. 4 2003 at the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago in honor of its efforts to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities during the year. This award recognized ODO's Computer To Work Program which provides people with disabilities free refurbished computers to help them with school, job searches and home-based businesses. Dr. Henry Betts founder of the Rehab Institute of Chicago, Dr. Wayne Lerner CEO Rehab Institute of Chicago and Joseph Ahern President CBS Chicago presented the award to Executive Director Eric Lipp.
IN MAY 2004 the Open Doors Organization received an award for its support of the Rehabilitation Instituite of Chicago and Vocational Rehabilitation's goal of employment for people with disabilities.
Again on December 2, 2004, Open Doors received an award at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's (RIC) 29th Annual Corporate Awards for its work in providing employment opportunities to people with disabilities. Accepting the award for ODO was Program Director, Theresa Pacione. The award was presented by Henry Betts,past President/CEO of RIC, Wayne Lerner, President & CEO of RIC and Jim Mullen, Founder of the Jim Mullen Charitable Foundation.
We are proud of all the awards presented to Open Doors Organization and will continue to work hard to create inclusion for people with disabilities.
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