Story Created:
Jul 20, 2010 at 2:56 PM PST
Story Updated:
Jul 21, 2010 at 4:00 PM PST
The schizophrenic and once-homeless musician whose life was depicted in the movie “The Soloist” will visit the White House to help commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Nathaniel Ayers, wearing a camouflage jacket and an olive green baseball cap with “Alaska” embroidered on it, stood quietly to the side, holding a violin, as the announcement was made Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said the musician had been chosen to represent Los Angeles County to highlight “the invisible disabilities that mental illness may cause.”
“There are many of those among us who should bear no shame in seeking treatment ... in order to maximize their potential and their contributions to our own lives,” the supervisor said.
Ayers is scheduled to depart Los Angeles on July 28. His sister will travel from Georgia to meet him in Washington, D.C., and accompany him to the White House.
Ayers was presented with two scrolls Tuesday — one to honor him and another for him to present to President Barack Obama. The musician offered a small smile for the camera, standing next to Ridley-Thomas, but shied away from the microphone.
The director of the Department of Mental Health stepped in, saying Ayers “acts as an ambassador of inclusion for us. ... He brings a message that everyone has a place, everyone should be included and that we should never give up.”
The musician then brought his violin to the microphone and offered a softly spoken introduction before he began to play.
He acknowledged Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, who was seated in the chamber. A series of columns Lopez penned about the musician’s life on the streets and his profound relationship with music were the basis for the 2009 film, which starred Jamie Foxx as Ayers and Robert Downey Jr. as the columnist.
Ayers once studied at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York and had promising skills as a bassist. But schizophrenia led to a mental breakdown, derailing his potential career and ultimately landing him on the streets.
“Beethoven is in Pershing Square,” Ayers said, referencing a statue of the composer that serves as a personal touchstone. In rapt concentration, the musician then played a short, improvised selection and nodded in appreciation at the applause he received.
Ridley-Thomas said Ayers had asked that Lopez and another companion be given the scrolls for safekeeping.
Ayers lives in an apartment provided for him by Lamp Community, a downtown nonprofit organization serving the homeless, according to Lamp spokesman Eric Ares.
The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, commercial facilities, employment, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications.
There are an estimated 54 million disabled Americans, and 11 million of those need help with everyday activities, according to a 2005 report by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Video via CBS News.
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