Gary Ray Rogers the Winner of the First Annual Paul Wolff
Accessibility Advocacy Award
The below was sent out as a press release July 30,2002
Local Small Businessman Wins Advocacy Award
Gary Ray Rogers, owner of Rogers Ltd., "A Human Engineering
Consultancy" was awarded the first annual Paul Wolff Accessibility
Advocacy Award on July 26, 2002, the 12th anniversary of the signing of
the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The award was presented by SLOCO Access and the San Luis Obispo
County Community Foundation. The award was created to honor "an
individual, organization or business who have made a worthwhile
contribution toward meeting the needs of people with disabilities in San
Luis Obispo County."
There were seven nominees for this prestigious award. They
were: the Easter Seals Tri County, the Gold Coast 4 x 4s, Dr. Kevin
Taylor, Ms. Polly Mintling, Ms. Kathy Peters, Camp Hope United Cerebral
Palsy, and Gary Ray Rogers.
"They were all wonderful nominations. It was difficult to make
our final choice," said Beverly Gingg, who chaired the selection
committee, in announcing the winner at the special reception at the Vet's
Hall. The evening also featured a speech by Michael Hingson who escaped
the World Trade Tower attack with his guide dog, Roselle, and who now
works for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
The award is named after architect and accessibility advocate,
Paul Wolff. Mr. Wolff was instrumental in the creation of the first
accessible housing in San Luis Obispo. Upon learning that he had been
selected for the first recipient of the award, Gary Rogers said, "I was
very surprised and very honored to receive this award. I feel I'm in good
company with Paul Wolff."
Mr. Rogers, who earned a masters degree in materials engineering
at Cal Poly in 1996, has been a long time volunteer and former member of
the Board of Directors of SLOCO Access. Mr. Rogers uses a cane and
crutches and a wheelchair and therefore has first hand experience with the
barriers to access present in our public lives and the cultural attitudes
towards people with disabilities that perpetuate those barriers.
He has helped increase communications among people with disabilities by
administering and distributing information in a local email list-serve for
SLOCO Access. He also increases the awareness of public officials and
their staff by speaking out in public meetings on the need to eliminate
physical and attitudinal barriers in SLO County.
Mr. Rogers was a member of the SLO County In-Home Supportive Services
(IHSS) Advisory Committee and presented their recommendations to the
county Board of Supervisors. He was recently named Chair of the newly
formed SLO County IHSS Public Authority.
Mr. Rogers has recently started his own consulting business in San
Luis Obispo. Rogers Ltd., "A Human Engineering Consultancy," offers a
range of services to the public utilizing his engineering skills. His
consulting business can advise consumers about assistive technology,
ergonomics, work and home access, and ADA evaluations for business. For
further information, contact Mr. Rogers at 544-0624.
For more information about the Paul Wolff Accessibility Advocacy
Award, contact SLOCO Access at 543-3627 or the SLOCCF at 543-2323.