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Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry has passed away after a brief battle with cancer.

Fort Wayne And Allen County Officials Create Disability Advisory Council

Lisa Ryan, WBOI News
Allen County Commissioner Nelson Peters announces the council. Members of disability rights organizations joined in the announcement.

Fort Wayne and Allen County officials announced Tuesday that the city and county are forming an advisory council aimed at protecting people with disabilities.

The main goals of the council are to provide information about the needs and conditions of people with disabilities, identify barriers to participation, and recommend solutions to those barriers.

The idea was presented to the city by Fort Wayne disability rights organizations and the Northeast Indiana Disability Advocacy Coalition, or NEIDAC.

The chair of NEIDAC says the idea came from looking at similar councils in other cities.

Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry says a city should be judged by how it treats all citizens.

“This is one way that we can reach out as a community and say everybody has something to offer,” Henry said. “Everyone is important to quality of life of our community.”

The nine members on the council haven’t been selected yet, but they will be appointed by NEIDAC, Fort Wayne and Allen County officials.

NEIDAC will choose five members, and the city and county will appoint one member each. The other two members will be ADA coordinators who are already employed by the city and county.

The council is scheduled to meet quarterly and will produce an annual report about its recommendations and activities.

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