Senator Harkin will be acting as a surrogate for Presidential candidate Barack Obama at The National Forum on Disability Issues from 12:30-4:00 PM on Saturday, July 26th, in Columbus, Ohio. The Forum is a non-partisan presidential forum organized by the Ohio Disability Vote Coalition and the American Association of People with Disabilities.

According to Market Watch:

Harkin, a champion of disability rights who helped shape the Americans with Disabilities Act, is Obama’s closest disability policy advisor, according to the Obama campaign. Harkin also advised Obama on his “Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities,” discussing the policy with Obama and suggesting specific edits in the policy.

Senator Harkin has long been an advocate for disability rights and freedoms. He co-authored the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 that protects the rights of more than 54 million Americans with physical and mental disabilities. He also authored legislation requiring all television sets to have closed captioning and legislation creating the National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders.

For more information on the Forum please visit the American Association of People with Disabilities website at www.aapd.com

For more information on Senator Harkin’s fight for disability rights and freedoms please click here.