Wednesday, August 29, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: HHS Press Office

(202) 690-6343

MEDIA ADVISORY

For: Wednesday, September 5, 2001

HHS will sponsor a National Listening Session on Community-Based

Alternatives for People with Disabilities. The session will provide the

opportunity for people with disabilities, their family members, providers

and others to speak face-to-face with high-level federal officials within

HHS and other agencies about their views and experiences regarding the

barriers to community-based services and their suggestions for solutions to

those barriers.

The National Listening Session on Community-Based Alternatives for People

with Disabilities is cosponsored by the departments of Justice, Housing and

Urban Development, Labor, Education, Veterans Affairs and Transportation, as

well as the Social Security Administration, Small Business Administration

and the Office of Personnel Management. The listening session is one step

in carrying out Executive Order 13217, signed by President Bush June 18,

directing federal agencies to assist states in expanding community-based

services for people with disabilities. It is part of the President's broader

New Freedom Initiative for Americans with Disabilities.

When: Wednesday, September 5, 2001

9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Atrium Ballroom

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Media Contact: HHS Press Office

(202) 690-6343

**The listening session is open to the public. Members of the public who

plan to attend the listening session are encouraged to pre-register by

August 31 at www.hsrnet.com/meeting/newfreedom or by calling Martrell Kelly

at (202) 828-5100.

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