2025 marks the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. The ADA is a Federal civil rights law modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was a bipartisan bill that was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990. Today will be the first of many blog posts this year which I hope will bring further awareness of the impact of the ADA.
I am aware of criticism that the ADA is not a strong law, often by younger people who don’t realize how far we have progressed in providing access. Yes, there is still a long way to go until people with disabilities are truly equitable in receiving basic access to our cities and towns, but let’s not forget what had to be done to get to where we are today. Take the curb ramp as an example.
Sidewalks are everywhere in cities and towns. They are one of the first features of a developed society to keep pedestrians safely away from vehicular traffic. Sidewalks were originally developed as a raised walking surface with a vertical step from the street because it was a simple and cheap design. The average able-bodied designer or city planner never batted an eye at putting these steps everywhere. These people could only consider their own lived experiences. Infrastructure was designed that systematically created barriers for people with disabilities, especially those who use wheelchairs.
Several disability protests occurred in the 1970’s and ‘80’s. The most notable known as the 504 Sit-in, demonstrations at Federal buildings in San Fransico and Washington D.C. in 1977. Another key protest happened in Denver in 1978. Known as the Gang of 19, these people protested the city’s inaccessible public bus system and right of way. A piece of a curb, smashed to symbolically create access to a sidewalk during the protest, is on display at the Smithsonian Museum. The Gang of 19 were people with disabilities who were fed up with not being able to access public services. The mass transit agency, RTD, had just purchased 250 buses for the city, none with wheelchair lifts.
The ADA was the first major civil rights law created with the intent that people with disabilities should have access to their local communities. Prior to the passage of the ADA, disability civil rights activists were met with the counter argument from legislators “‘Curb cuts, why do you need curb cuts? We never see people with disabilities out on the street. Who is going to use them?’” as recalled by Ed Roberts, a disability civil rights leader in the 1960’s. These legislators couldn’t comprehend the idea that people can’t go to where barriers prevent them from going.
The ADA still has a ways to go until it’s fully realized. New and emerging technologies, like touch screens, are the new “sidewalks.” The reason they aren’t accessible is not because of malice towards people with disabilities. It’s the same reason sidewalks were mostly unusable in the past: the designers and planners can only conceive their own lived experience; they don’t consider the person with a disability who won’t have access the way they can.
Until the ADA is universally implemented, let’s do what we can as individuals to aid the cause to make our communities more accessible. If you’re physically able, consider clearing the sidewalk of snow outside your home in the winter so that people who are more prone to injury in a fall can enjoy the neighborhood. If you have elderly or disabled neighbors, consider shoveling their sidewalk for them. If you work with a computer, set aside 15 minutes to watch a YouTube video on making accessible digital content. These little acts can really make a difference to people in our communities. If we can’t change the world in one day, we can improve our communities today.