A school, a church, a corporate employer and a city park project are the four leadership examples being singled out this year by the Inclusion Network.

        The sixth annual awards program, which has become the highlight of the year for disability rights advocates, will recognize outstanding progress toward inclusion of all people in our community.

        As in the past, this year's honorees are ordinary people whose very ordinariness makes their achievements possible for others.

IF YOU GO

What: The sixth annual Inclusion Awards dinner.   When: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday.   Where: Hyatt Regency, Fifth and Elm streets, downtown.   Keynote speech: Norman Kunc, Canadian author and educator in the field of disability rights.   Fund-raiser: Cincinnati artist Jim Dine has donated his work “The Earth,” with an estimated value of $15,000. To raise money for the network, 100 tickets are being sold for $250 each. The winner of a drawing gets the lithograph.   Admission: Tickets are $35 and must be purchased in advance. Call 287-6530.

        The school: Imagine a school where all desks in one classroom are ordered to be wheelchair height, so one child feels included.

        Tim Reilly, principal of St. Ignatius School on North Bend Road in Monfort Heights believes education is about celebrating diversity, not accepting it. While many private schools turn kids with disabilities away, this school has an unusually high number of kids with physical, speech and learning disabilities.

        The church: At the Madison Avenue Christian Church in Covington, the physical modifications were in place long before the pastor was made aware of four young men from an area group home who wanted to be baptized. In the four years since that single event, the church has become a model of inclusion.

        Educational workshops teach members of the congregation about one another. Transportation arrangements are made for members with disabilities to get to services. Large-print prayer books are available. The building is equipped with automatic doors.

AWARDS HONOR NAME

Monday's Inclusion Network annual awards are a model for public events of any kind. Accommodations at the Hyatt Regency downtown have expanded each of the event's six years.   Not only is the location physically accessible, but inclusion of all guests will be evident in the event's details:   • An exhibit of work by artists with disabilities.   • A cash bar at wheelchair height.   • Programs in Braille and large print.   • Assistive listening devices.   • Real-time captioning and sign-language interpreters.   • Video description of the films depicting the lives of the winners.

        The corporation: Procter & Gamble Co. will be recognized for efforts that extend far beyond its own workplace environment. A member of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission's Business Advisory Committee for 16 years, Procter & Gamble has not only employed many people with disabilities but has also hosted more than 300 businesses in seminars emphasizing the value of diverse hiring practices.

        The art project: The Covington Millennium Mosaic at the Covington Community Center will be admired for years to come. Hundreds of volunteers from all walks of life participated in creating five beautiful benches — made of handmade ceramic tiles and glass mosaics — that tell the story of this community's history and people.

        Volunteers from 10 neighborhoods represented all abilities, and every volunteer was given a piece of the project to accomplish. Kids with learning disabilities, adults with arthritis, and many others worked alongside neighbors to create real works of art.

        The memorials: Dixie Harmon — a disabilities activist, quadriplegic and a “little person” who died last year — will be honored for her outstanding achievement. The event is being dedicated to the memory of Marsha Forest, an international leader in inclusion.

        The Inclusion Network, founded in 1993, is a volunteer group of Tristate consumers, advocates, agency representatives, professionals, parents, educators, business and community leaders committed to including people with disabilities in all aspects of community life.

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