Frank Sesno to Moderate National Forum on Disability Issues

Frank Sesno to Moderate National Forum on Disability Issues

President Barack Obama, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney invited to
present their policy positions on disability issues Sept. 28 in
Columbus, Ohio

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 11, 2012) - Frank Sesno, director of the School
of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University, and
former CNN White House correspondent, anchor and Washington bureau
chief, is serving as moderator of the National Forum on Disability
Issues (NFDI) from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28, at the
Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio.



The non-partisan forum aims to bring together President Barack Obama and
former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and provide them with a platform
to present their policy positions on disability issues directly to the
disability community. Invitations have also been extended to candidates
from both parties for the U.S. Senate from Ohio, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D)
and Republican nominee Treasurer Josh Mandel.

"This is the only national event for candidates to present their
positions on disability issues," said Sue Hetrick, director of public
policy of the Ability Center of Greater Toledo and coordinator of the
Ohio Disability Vote Coalition. "There are more than 57 million people
with disabilities in the United States, and one in four veterans
returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan are returning with a
disability. The disability community, which is growing and increasing
its influence on elections, must know the policy positions of the people
who will represent them in Washington."



Format of the Forum

Each candidate will occupy the stage exclusively for 30-minutes. During
that time, he will have 10 minutes to present his vision for the future
on disability policy in America and 20 minutes to respond to questions
presented by Sesno. Questions for the session are being generated by the
disability community prior to the event. Each candidate has the
opportunity to address such topics as employment, health care, long-term
community-based services and supports, education, transportation,
housing, and research.

A maximum capacity crowd of 500 Americans living with disabilities is
expected to be confirmed, while thousands more are planned to
participate via a live webcast. Individuals interested in registering
for the forum or live webcast can do so at www.nfdi.org.

For more information, visit www.nfdi.org.