Richard Pimentel (Left) talks to reporters. January 21, 2008.

- RELATED INFO -

Crearea de oportunitati pentru incluziunea sociala a persoanelor cu dizabilitati CV Richard Pimentel (Microsoft Word Document) Dizabilitate si Abilitate (Un Jurnal Electronic editat de catre Departmentul de Stat) Disability and Ability (An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State)

Embassy Press Release

ROMANIA: DISABLED RIGHTS ACTIVISTS INSPIRED BY "MUSIC WITHIN"

January 21, 2008

U.S. activist Richard Pimentel, whose lifetime of experience working for integration of the disabled has become the basis for a new Hollywood movie, inspired and encouraged counterparts in three Romanian countries with a series of well-attended talks in Sibiu, Oradea and Cluj-Napoca January 21-25. Drawing on his own challenges as a disabled Vietnam veteran who fought for passage of the ADA, Pimentel stressed the need to help the disabled express the "music within" themselves through access to meaningful employment and social integration. Pimentel used gentle humor and finely-honed speaking skills – which belied his deafness -- to build a persuasive case for reforming Romania’s approach to the disabled, who are unfortunately still institutionalized at a much higher rate than in Western Europe. We introduced Pimentel at each talk by showing a short trailer from "Music Within", the movie based on his life, which dramatically brought some of the challenges and successes of the American disabled rights movement to life.

Post distributed printed copies of our Romanian version of IIP’s E-Journal, Disability and Ability, to all attendees.

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