This Friday, to mark the 25^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, more than a thousand people are expected to circle the Idaho Capitol in a “Hands Around the Capitol” commemoration, Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney will host demonstrations inside the Capitol of accessible voting devices, and there will be speeches, presentations, live music, food trucks, informational booths, giveaways and more in Capitol Park. The keynote speaker will be Kelly Buckland, director of the National Council on Independent Living, who is also the longtime Idaho disability advocate who filed the complaint that led to the recent agreement for accessibility upgrades throughout the renovated state Capitol.

Denney will read a welcoming proclamation from Gov. Butch Otter in honor of the “Hands Around the Capitol” celebration, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter will welcome the crowd, and there will be presentations by U.S. Attorney for Idaho Wendy Olson; Steven Snow, director of the Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; and disability advocate Dr. Richard Pimental. Sign language interpreters will be available. Escorted tours of the Capitol will be offered at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Opening ceremonies are set for 11 a.m. in Capitol Park, across from the Capitol building, with the circling of the Capitol starting at 11:20. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., accessible voting devices from five national companies will be demonstrated in the 2^nd floor rotunda of the Capitol, to give Idahoans a chance to try them out and comment on which they think would work best for Idaho voters. The devices are required by federal law in all polling places for federal elections, to enable people with disabilities, from blindness to motor skills impairments, to vote privately and independently.

There’s more info on the voting demonstration here and the festivities here.