On 25th Anniversary of ADA, We Need to do More
Published on
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
by
The Progressive
On 25th Anniversary of ADA, We Need to do More
by
Kathi Wolfe
(Photo: Keoni Cabral/flickr/cc)
July 26, 1990, was a life-changing day for people like me. Twenty-five years
ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law.
If you're able-bodied, you may not realize how life-changing the ADA has
been for people with disabilities. Thanks to the ADA, an extension of the
1964 Civil Rights Act that Congress passed with bipartisan support, the
nearly one in five Americans with disabilities have legal redress against
the discrimination they face daily in so many aspects of their lives.
One day in 1989, I went to grab a burger at a deli. "You can't stay here,"
the man behind the counter said. "Blind people will depress other people." A
quarter century later, because of the ADA, such discrimination would be
illegal.
A patron prohibited from entering a restaurant or cinema; a student denied
an education because a school isn't wheelchair accessible; or a qualified
job applicant denied an interview because of his or her disability can seek
legal redress for this discrimination.
Thanks to the ADA, wheelchair ramps, Braille on elevators and sign language
interpreters have become a familiar part of everyday life. The other day, a
server at a diner not only welcomed me, but offered me a Braille menu. Deaf
people can access captioning of their favorite shows on TV. Employers are
hiring qualified people with disabilities.
Recently, an Apple technical support representative told me that he was
"hard of hearing" and that a hearing aid enabled him to effectively do his
work. Yet, despite this progress, much remains to be achieved. Less than 20
percent of people with disabilities were employed last year, according to
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many doctor's offices and hospitals
still aren't wheelchair accessible.
A few years ago, I was hospitalized with a badly injured knee. In the
hospital's orthopedic surgery ward, I was unable to get into the bathroom
with a walker. Medical facilities, as well as courts and prisons, too
frequently don't have sign language interpreters for deaf people.
Inaccessible websites continue to put up barriers for blind and visually
impaired people. I'm often at my wit's end when I try to book an airline
reservation or find a company's contact information online because a site
isn't accessible to me. Deaf people often can't get good video captioning
online. Amtrak, our national passenger train service, is particularly behind
the times. Just 18 of Amtrak's nearly 400 stations are accessible to people
using wheelchairs, crutches, braces or walkers (or even a woman with a baby
stroller).
"Let the shameful walls of exclusion finally come tumbling down," President
George H.W. Bush said as he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act 25
years ago.
As we celebrate the ADA, let's keep working to tear those walls down.
C 2015 The Progressive
Kathi Wolfe
Kathi Wolfe is a writer and poet. Her most recent collection, "The Uppity
Blind Girl Poems," was published earlier this year by BrickHouse Books.
On 25th Anniversary of ADA, We Need to do More
Published on
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
by
The Progressive
On 25th Anniversary of ADA, We Need to do More
by
Kathi Wolfe
. 2 Comments
.
. (Photo: Keoni Cabral/flickr/cc)
. July 26, 1990, was a life-changing day for people like me.
Twenty-five years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed
into law.
. If you're able-bodied, you may not realize how life-changing the ADA
has been for people with disabilities. Thanks to the ADA, an extension of
the 1964 Civil Rights Act that Congress passed with bipartisan support, the
nearly one in five Americans with disabilities have legal redress against
the discrimination they face daily in so many aspects of their lives.
. One day in 1989, I went to grab a burger at a deli. "You can't stay
here," the man behind the counter said. "Blind people will depress other
people." A quarter century later, because of the ADA, such discrimination
would be illegal.
. A patron prohibited from entering a restaurant or cinema; a student
denied an education because a school isn't wheelchair accessible; or a
qualified job applicant denied an interview because of his or her disability
can seek legal redress for this discrimination.
Thanks to the ADA, wheelchair ramps, Braille on elevators and sign language
interpreters have become a familiar part of everyday life. The other day, a
server at a diner not only welcomed me, but offered me a Braille menu. Deaf
people can access captioning of their favorite shows on TV. Employers are
hiring qualified people with disabilities.
Recently, an Apple technical support representative told me that he was
"hard of hearing" and that a hearing aid enabled him to effectively do his
work. Yet, despite this progress, much remains to be achieved. Less than 20
percent of people with disabilities were employed last year, according to
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many doctor's offices and hospitals
still aren't wheelchair accessible.
A few years ago, I was hospitalized with a badly injured knee. In the
hospital's orthopedic surgery ward, I was unable to get into the bathroom
with a walker. Medical facilities, as well as courts and prisons, too
frequently don't have sign language interpreters for deaf people.
Inaccessible websites continue to put up barriers for blind and visually
impaired people. I'm often at my wit's end when I try to book an airline
reservation or find a company's contact information online because a site
isn't accessible to me. Deaf people often can't get good video captioning
online. Amtrak, our national passenger train service, is particularly behind
the times. Just 18 of Amtrak's nearly 400 stations are accessible to people
using wheelchairs, crutches, braces or walkers (or even a woman with a baby
stroller).
"Let the shameful walls of exclusion finally come tumbling down," President
George H.W. Bush said as he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act 25
years ago.
As we celebrate the ADA, let's keep working to tear those walls down.
C 2015 The Progressive
/author/kathi-wolfe
/author/kathi-wolfe /author/kathi-wolfe
Kathi Wolfe is a writer and poet. Her most recent collection, "The Uppity
Blind Girl Poems," was published earlier this year by BrickHouse Books.
