July 26th is ADA Day. ADA Day celebrates the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. Amy Maes discusses the importance of the ADA and why we celebrate it.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:26 Amy Maes
1:14 The Importance of the ADA
3:19 Centers for Independent Living
5:15 DNEM Mission Statement and Vision
Abriged Transcript:
Intro: Jeffrey introduces Amy Maes.
(Amy) So I'm Amy Maes and I'm the Associate Director here at Disability Network Eastern Michigan. I'm also a licensed attorney and certain practicing law right when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed.
So I've got just years of experience when it comes to, you know how, architects reacted to, telling them how they had to design buildings according to the guidelines...people saying outright you cannot bring an animal into a restaurant. And so uh just years of, different cases along the way, after the ADA came out.
Question: Why celebrate ADA Day?
(Amy) So the Americans with Disabilities Act, was the most comprehensive piece of civil rights legislation that was passed for people with disabilities. And really it was a culmination of decades of advocacy efforts.
...we want to celebrate and recognize all of the people who came before us. Who really advocated and dedicated their lives to making sure that there was awareness, that there was empathy, that there was acknowledgment of the fact that people with disabilities were not being included in their communities.
But for the fact that we were designing our environment to keep them excluded. And so we recognize and honor them as a part of our celebration of the ADA but also to look at how far we've come... in terms of how we design buildings, how we offer accommodations, how we just as a society are much more open. You can't legislate attitude. But you can celebrate how far we've come in terms of our society embracing the dignity of all our community members.
And so we also take the ADA day to acknowledge how far we've come. And then we also want to…have a moment to raise awareness of the struggles that are ahead. As we look to our digital space, it's throwing up barriers that people hadn't thought about...
Question - How do CILs relate to the ADA?
(Amy) Absolutely. So centers for independent living, there's CILs throughout the state; throughout the United States and there's 15 specifically in Michigan. And really, like I said earlier, centers for independent living existed before the Americans with Disabilities Act. And um we're really part of the advocacy efforts towards getting it passed. And so it really was the voices of individuals was the ability to network, the ability collaborate and to build their own little communities that give us a chance to know… give us a chance to share their voices.
And so as a center for independent living, we exist to assist anyone regardless of what their age is, to maintain or increase their independence. And so the Americans with Disabilities Act is the proclamation of independence for people with disabilities. And so for us, as centers for independent living, it was that green light to say finally, here we go. Everybody has a chance to have independence of every aspect of their lives.
(Jeffrey) Thank you for being here Amy.
(Amy) Thank you Jeffrey.
Photo Credits:
Bancroft Library, Camp Jened Newspaper Archive Collection, BANC MSS 2012/178
Bancroft Library, San Francisco Examiner Photographic Archive, BANC PIC 2006.029:142256.04.33-NEG.
Disabled Students Program Photograph Collection, 1970's-1992, Bancroft Library, Digital Collections.
The Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities. March 1, 2015. The ADA Legacy Project. Accessed July 17, 2024. Available at: mn.gov/mnddc/ada-legacy/ada-legacy-moment27.html
Image: “Capitol Crawl”
President George H. W. Bush Signs the Americans with Disabilities Act, 07/26/1990. National Archives ID: 6037489
Smithsonian National Museum of American History. EveryBody: An Artifact History of Disability in America. Laws. Accessed July 17, 2024. Available at: americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/everybody/citizens/laws
Images: “Red-lined Copy of ADA and Pen, 1990”, “Support ADA” Button 1989, “I love ADA” Button 1990s, “ADA Bumper Sticker in Red, White, and Blue, 1990s”.
U.S. Department of State. Judith E. Heumann. Accessed July 17, 2024. Available at: 2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/144458.htm
Image: Portrait of Judith E. Heumann.
Williams, Taryn M. U.S. Department of Labor Blog. Judy Heumann: Legacy and Leadership. March 6, 2023. Accessed July 17, 2024. Available at: blog.dol.gov/2023/03/06/judy-heumann-the-legacy-of-leadership
Image: Judy Heumann advocating for the signing of regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Music Credit:
"Cherubs" by Josh Woodward. Free download: www.joshwoodward.com/