Whittier~“Celebrating Abilities,” the seventh annual Expo and Celebration of Disabilities Awareness Month, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, October 21, 2008 at Parnell Park, 15390 Lambert Road, Whittier.  All community members are invited to come to this free event to learn more about how Whittier is working to become accessible to all residents.

“The event is jointly sponsored by the City of Whittier Accessibility Committee, Community Services Department, Southeast Area Social Services Funding Authority (SASSFA) Work Source and the Whittier Union High School District to celebrate Disabilities Awareness Month in October,” said Fran Shields, Director of Community Services.

More than 25 agencies will be represented at the Expo, featuring exhibits and displays on employment assistance information, advocacy, independent and assisted living, parent education, support programs, social services resources and emergency preparedness information, Shields said.

Also during October will be an art display in the Parnell Park building lobby featuring local artist Robert Thome, a member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting.  A former Pioneer High School football player, in 1969 Thome sustained a spinal cord injury which left him paralyzed from the neck down.  Since that time, he has become a prolific mouth artist, receiving the Governor’s Trophy, California’s highest honor, and has been inducted into the California Hall of Fame.  His artwork has been displayed throughout the United States and in other countries.

“The City of Whittier Accessibility Committee would like to thank Mr. Thome for allowing us to display his art during Disability Awareness Month,” said Robert Ehlers, Accessibility Committee chair.

For more information or to participate in the event, call Martin Browne, Accessibility Coordinator, at (562) 698-2131 or check the City of Whittier website at www.cityofwhittier.org.