Radio host Greg Smith will speak during Chicago's post-parade celebration of Disability Pride.

• “On A Roll Radio” Founder Greg Smith, now known as The Strength Coach, to address public at the University of Illinois (UIC), Tuesday, July 20, from 5 - 7 p.m.
• The Disability Pride Parade on July 18, 2004, will kick off a week of activities that will culminate on July 26, 2004, with a celebration of the 14th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

CHICAGO, Ill. – Radio host Greg Smith will keep the disability community's momentum marching by addressing topics such as pride, culture, identity and his thoughts about the intersection of disability and race during Chicago's post-parade celebration of Disability Pride. Invited by the Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities (CCSPD), Smith will speak before the public at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) on Tuesday, July 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. His message: “Pride in Strength – Harnessing the Power of Disability in America.”

Smith, who got his radio start in high school at Downers Grove South, was born with muscular dystrophy, uses a power wheelchair and weighs only 65 pounds. His life and career have been chronicled in an award-winning documentary film, “On A Roll,” produced by Joanne Caputo, which will air nationally on the PBS series “Independent Lens” in 2005. Smith’s autobiography is scheduled to be released at that time.

While Smith's severely limited physical strength is gradually declining due to his condition, his accomplishments in life shine a spotlight on his expertise and the value he brings to audiences: the way to build inner strength is by lifting the weights of life’s challenges. As "The Strength Coach," Greg is going mainstream, both on the radio and on the speaking circuit, after building his previous radio show, "On A Roll," into a nationally-syndicated program that aired on more than 70 stations nationwide during the past 11 years.

“I am so proud to be a member of America’s strongest community, the disability community,” says Smith, a professional member of the National Speakers Association. In 2003, he logged more than 50,000 miles delivering motivational and entertaining keynote speeches, workshops and educational seminars.