July is Disability Pride Month. A time where the lived experience of people with all types of disabilities is amplified through virtual and in-person events celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This historic legislation passed on July 26, 1990 under President George H.W. Bush.
As someone who was born totally blind just after the ADA was passed I am proud of how blindness has shaped who I am. Because of the ADA I am able to use screen-reading software on my computer called JAWS to help me work. This same software also allowed me to complete high school and get my B.A. in Communications from the now closed College of Saint Rose in Albany.
I’m reading this commentary to you from a braille keyboard which connects to both my computer and iPhone. Because of the ADA I own my home and utilize public transportation with my seeing eye dog.
Thanks to the ADA, busses have wheelchair lifts. Most businesses have wheelchair-accessible entrances. Crosswalks have bumps indicating an intersection for a blind person. Some traffic lights make sound and tell you what street you’re crossing. These are just a few accessibility improvements we all benefit from.
My pride for having equal access for people with disabilities is matched with frustration because a law is only as good as its enforcement.
Many cities and towns have not adopted, or are working on adopting ADA plans for improving pedestrian safety and accessibility. The law set minimum standards concerning accessibility and protections for people with disabilities around employment, accessing government services, and transportation which do not meet the needs of people with disabilities today.
For timing and convenience sake, I’ll touch on these issues in future commentaries. Right now, the focus needs to be on protecting the ADA and disability rights because there are people in charge who are set on taking our rights away.
On June 18, the Department of Justice issued a horrifying memo telling states they do not need to ensure community integration for people with disabilities. This was the central piece of the 1999 Olmstead Supreme Court decision where two Georgia residents sued the state because they were locked up in a nursing home against their will. The Supreme Court said states must ensure people with disabilities are living in the most appropriate community integration setting possible. The memo does not undo the Olmstead decision.
It was a stepping stone for the DOJ to say on July 20 they will not enforce Title II of the ADA which focuses on programs and services provided by states and local governments. The attacks from the Trump administration send a clear message that we’re not valued members of society.
Equally concerning is the fact it took the latest attack from the DOJ for Governor Hochul to release a statement affirming the rights of people with disabilities. She urged Republicans to stand up to the DOJ in the first line of her statement, which is great.
However, the governor should have immediately criticized the memo like other Democratic leaders, instead of using this opportunity to play politics with disability rights.
She was too busy celebrating the opening of the new Buffalo Bills stadium and focusing on other things instead of the rights of over four million disabled New Yorkers.
Democrats and republicans together passed the ADA 36 years ago. Disability Rights are under threat because both political parties are not making us a priority. People with disabilities are the largest minority group. Anyone can become disabled at any time for a laundry list of reasons. In order to create a world where everyone can thrive we need to come together as one united, prideful force, demanding the change we so desperately need. Nothing about us without us.
Blaise Bryant is a disability rights advocate and the host and producer of the "Blaisin' Access" Podcast.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.