The ADA 31 Years Later: Are We There Yet?

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

By Wendy Vance

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush pulled the equality and inclusion bus up to the White House and invited People with Disabilities to climb onboard. We were now allowed to come out of the shadows to join the ranks of the mainstream. He compared the act of signing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to the destruction of the Berlin Wall, a powerful symbol of Communist oppression that many of us feared, fought, and cheered when it finally fell. It was such a pivotal moment for that generation; how could we not cheer and applaud the fall of another wall of oppression a year later? And we did celebrate as we felt the shackles of shadows and separation fall to the ground and allowed the sweet air of freedom and inclusion to fill our lungs. We boarded that bus and took part in our own Freedom Ride. And like those Freedom Riders before us, we embarked on our journey with hopefulness. Our President had just declared us to be full and free American citizens with all the rights and privileges that come with it!

The Journey Begins

As we cranked up the tunes and cruised down the road, we plowed through the hole that President Bush’s sledgehammer made in our wall and saw changes happening all around us. Places that could not be accessed began to have ramps, bathroom stalls got bigger, closed captions began to appear, and even some commercials added audio description. People with disabilities have increasingly become a bigger part of the community. Most of today’s generation can say that they regularly encounter individuals with disabilities; that was not true everywhere at the time that the ADA was signed. I honestly only remember seeing one or two other students at my school with disabilities. 

I remember hearing that there was a room where “those retarded kids go” but I don’t remember seeing anyone with an intellectual disability in any of my classes. My high school had a wheelchair lift, but in my four years there it was never used. My point here is that, except for a very small handful, people with disabilities in my community were just not seen, but now people with disabilities are in the community, very visible evidence of the changes wrought over the last 31 years. Youth with disabilities have more hope for employment after completing their education. Our communities have grown and changed since we started our journey.

Another Barrier Ahead

Now as we come to the 31st anniversary of the beginning of our road trip to full inclusion, one may ask, are we there yet? I would have to say no, we still have miles to go before we sleep. Along our path, we have hit many roadblocks, detours, potholes, and had a flat tire or two. The law paved the way for many wins in challenging oppression and separation from the mainstream, keeping us moving down the road. The main barrier that the law cannot remove, however, is societal opinion. It cannot change the hearts and the minds of people without disabilities. You see, the law can tell you what you must do to comply, to not get sued, to not be fined. However it cannot speak to the deeper part of the soul that must change in order to smash the last wall, the invisible wall of acceptance. For it is in this acceptance, when you see past my disability, when you see the human soul inside this imperfect shell, that you make accommodations for me not because you have to, but because you want to, because it is the right thing to do and not just the legal thing to do.

Then there will be accessible medical care for all. No one will need to go to court to get basic needs met. Quality employment will not be denied. All forms of entertainment will be accessible. Parents will not fear that their child will be taken solely for the crime of being disabled. No service animal will be denied entry. In short, we will finally experience equity. We will have arrived at the destination that we were promised on our own independence day!

Staying on the Path

So, are we there yet? No. But we are on the open road that lies before us, making real progress that can be seen and felt. We see new and welcoming sights all the time. The law has paved the way; now we teach, change hearts, and open minds. It is up to us to continue overcoming the barriers together; together we are unstoppable!