Local Man Recognized as National Leader
Wins $10,000 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award
Iowa City, IA--On November 17, the Washington
D.C.-based American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) announced
that James Sato of Iowa City won the 2000 Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership
Award.
Sato was selected from hundreds of U.S. applicants, and was among
11 people with disabilities to win the prestigious award. All eleven
honorees will travel to Washington D.C. on December 8th for an invitation-only
reception, where they will be presented with a $10,000 cash award.
The Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards program was established in
1999 in honor of the founder of AAPD, Paul G. Hearne. Mr. Hearne was a
tireless advocate and visionary leader who achieved success as a lawyer,
non-profit executive, foundation president, federal agency director, and
mentor to countless people with disabilities. He spent his life opening
doors and removing barriers for people with disabilities.
The Awards program recognizes emerging leaders with disabilities who
demonstrate leadership while having a positive impact on the community of
people with disabilities. Sato earned the award because of his
outstanding work in writing. Available at www.avalon.net/~sato
or by calling 1-800-247-6553, Sato's self-published memoir of paranoid
schizophrenia, The Dream Eater, achieved unique lyricism and insight,
demonstrating the talents of disabled persons, giving voice to an
often-neglected population--the mentally ill.
Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award is sponsored by the American
Association of People with Disabilities, Washington, D.C., and the Milbank
Foundation for Rehabilitation in New York, N.Y.
