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WASHINGTON, DC – February 26,2009 - The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is pleased to announce Victor Santiago Pineda, a Los Angeles native, has been chosen as a winner of American Association of People with Disabilities' (AAPD) prestigious 2009 Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award.

Pineda, of Los Angeles, CA, will be presented with his award, which is given to emerging leaders within the national cross-disability community, at the 2009 AAPD Leadership Gala March 4 at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. Pineda was chosen by a national advisory committee to receive $10,000 to further a national project called "Its Our Story".
 
Pineda is the founder and president of The Victor Pineda Foundation, an educational nonprofit that promotes the rights of young people with disabilities, and focuses on using media to educate, inspire and inform young people with disabilities. Pineda's latest role as the project manager of The Disability Media Initiative and the "Its Our Story" project will create a web-based, accessible interactive history of the disability community.

"It's Our Story", is currently touring the country as a video archive and art instillation that highlights and shares the personal narratives of struggle, victory, hope, despair, strength and redemption.  "It's Our Story" is a testament to American history.  A 12-foot tall by 19-foot wide sculpture of the American flag made from over 600 Story Sticks representing these stories will be displayed at the AAPD leadership gala.  Bringing the flag to DC was made possible by the generous support of Yoshiko Dart and Tony Coelho. 

"There is nothing more important to the future of the disability community than leaders who inspire the next generation of our movement," said AAPD President and CEO Andrew J. Imparato. "Victor Pineda and others are leading the charge in educating, empowering and organizing people both inside and outside of the disability community."
 
Pineda, a doctoral student in Urban Planning and Social Policy Development at the University of California at Los Angeles and a filmmaker, whose awards include: the Jefferson Award for Public Service from the American Institute for Public Service, Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Abroad Fellow in Dubai and received the Alice Belkin Memorial Fellowship from the Burkle Center on International Research and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation research grant.

"We've had so many common struggles and common victories and sharing those is my contribution. Only by knowing our shared past can we shape our shared future," Pineda said. "Winning this award, I feel humbled but a deep sense of responsibility to carry the torch of justice and fight for full citizenship in to the 21st century."

AAPD has administered the award since 2000 named after one of AAPD's founders, Paul G. Hearne, a strong advocate and visionary leader with a lifelong disability who achieved success as a nonprofit executive, foundation president, federal agency director, and mentor to countless people with disabilities, since 2000.