Advocate and Entrepreneur to be honored at March 21 event

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is pleased to announce Mark Barlet and Amber Smock as the winners of the prestigious 2012 Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award.

Barlet, of Harper's Ferry, WV and Smock, of Chicago, IL will be presented with their awards, which are given to emerging leaders within the national cross-disability community, at the 2012 AAPD Leadership Gala, an awards ceremony and dinner, on March 21, 2012 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, D.C. The two were chosen by a national advisory committee to receive $10,000 each to further their work in the disability community.

AAPD's Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award carries on the work of one of AAPD's founders, Paul G. Hearne, a renowned leader in the national disability community and realizes his goal of cultivating emerging disability rights leaders.

Mark Barlet is the co-founder and current President of the AbleGamers Foundation, which serves the disability community by advocating great access to digital media and developing equipment, programs, and services for people with disabilities.  He is a veteran who is monoplegic.  Barlet and the staff of AbleGamers draw upon their personal experiences with disability to connect with the people they serve.

Amber Smock is the Director of Advocacy at Access Living, a nationally prominent organization that enables people with disabilities in Chicago to live fully-engaged and self-directed lives.  As Director of Advocacy, Smock oversees both public policy and organizing activities that include youth leadership initiatives and advocacy to prevent state budget cuts.

"These young leaders embody the passion and talent that people with disabilities bring to our communities," said AAPD President and CEO Mark Perriello.  "Mark Barlet's entrepreneurial vision has expanded our community's access to video games.  Amber Smock has a talent for connecting with diverse audiences from individuals to legislatures in order to make lives better," he added.

For additional information about this event, visit the AAPD website: www.AAPD.com, or contact Lara Schwartz, VP of External Affairs, at 202 521 4309 or lschwartz@aapd.com.

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest cross-disability membership organization, organizes the disability community to be a powerful force for change – politically, economically, and socially.  AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To learn more, visit the AAPD website:  www.aapd.com.

Media contact: Lara Schwartz
Vice President, External Affairs AAPD
Office: (202) 521-4309
E-mail: LSchwartz@aapd.com

SOURCE The American Association of People with Disabilities

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