Six California Legislative Award Honorees Are Making a Difference for People Living with Disabilities

Bay Area Senator Steve Glazer and Assemblymember Jim Frazier recognized by Easterseals Northern California for leadership roles on behalf of people with disabilities

Walnut Creek, Calif. – March 14, 2018 – For Immediate Release – Easterseals California, a group composed of all four Easterseals affiliates within the state, announced this year’s legislative award champions who were honored in Sacramento on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 during the Easterseals California Annual Legislative Awards dinner.

Recognized in 2018 for their outstanding work on behalf of the people served by Easterseals Northern California (ESNorCal) are two legislators who represent regions within the Bay Area:

• California Senator Steve Glazer (D-7th District) with the Senate Advocate Award in recognition of his support for Easterseals Northern California and his fight to increase the percentage of people with disabilities that graduate with higher education certifications and degrees.
• California Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-11th District) with the Assembly Champion Award recognizing him for his work to establish the Select Committee on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and for his support of community services to assist people with disabilities to become employed.

“We applaud these legislators and our other award recipients for their service and tireless support in driving initiatives forward to create more opportunities that create independence and lifelong inclusion of people with disabilities in their respective communities,” said Susan Armiger, President and CEO of Easterseals Northern California.

“I am a big believer in the empowerment that higher education can offer to all,” said Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda. “Especially important, however, are the doors higher education can open to disabled people. It is just as much their right to pursue a college degree as anyone else, and we should do all we can to provide opportunities to do so.”

Additional 2018 California award recipients were:

• Senator Toni Atkins (D-39th District), who was honored with the Senate Leadership Award.
• Senator Scott Wilk (R-21st District), who received the Senate Champion Award.
• Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-41st District), who was honored with the Assembly Leadership Award.
• Secretary Diana S. Dooley of the California Health and Human Services Agency, who received the Public Service Award.

About Easterseals California Legislative Awards

In 2004, Easterseals California awarded its first state Legislative Awards to recognize sustained efforts by elected and appointed officials that help forward the Easterseals mission to serve people with disabilities. Every honoree has gone the extra mile in making a difference for Americans with disabilities. Each believes that people with disabilities deserve a quality education, opportunities for employment, access to health care, affordable housing, transportation and polling places.

About Easterseals Northern California

Easterseals Northern California (ESNorCal) is leading the way to ensure individuals and families affected by disabilities can live, learn, work and play to their full potential. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., ESNorCal earned CARF International accreditation in 2016 for meeting globally recognized standards of providing the highest quality of services. In 2017, ESNorCal earned the Salesforce Healthcare Trailblazer Award for pushing the bounds of innovation in healthcare technology.