Today marks the 30th Anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act -- a landmark civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. #ADA30 #ThanksToTheADA
And while those of us with disabilities benefit from this law every day, we also see there are so many things that the ADA does not touch--we see how we are still so clearly not afforded the same opportunities as everyone else.
It was not until many years after my spinal cord injury, after working my wheels off to be "just like everybody else", that I realized that the problem wasn't my wheelchair, rather the barriers in my life are a result of the lack of accessibility and the lack of visibility around disability.
So, today, as we celebrate the monumental change that happened 30 years ago which compelled civil rights protections to the disability community, I look to the future and I ask you all to look to the disability community. I ask that you see us--for our value, our talents, our contributions, and our rights to exist in this world along with everyone else. I also ask that you question the many barriers that still exist in our communities for the disability community and stand as an ally in our continuous movement. I finally ask that you SEE us--that you give disability the visibility it needs to allow our community to rise in education, in job opportunities, in representation in media, in representation in public office, in every single aspect that our non-disabled counterparts are provided every day.
My eyes are on the next 30 years....because you have to #keeppushing
