Reflecting on the Americans with Disabilities Act 25 years later

Was it actually 25 years ago when scores of people with disabilities, professionals in the field of disability services, national political leaders, and others sat on the South Lawn of the White House and were witnesses to history as President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) into law?

What was it that each of us anticipated from this new act, which was hailed as a civil rights law for people with disabilities, theoretically guaranteeing them full access to their communities - and society as a whole?

As I sat there, on that steamy D.C. summer day, I personally did not see this new law as a victory for me - as an individual with a speech impediment and involuntary movements, whose only barrier to society was "acceptance." However, as a professional in the disability field, I found this new law to be an invaluable tool to promote an agenda of equality and access for those whom I helped on a daily basis.

Over the years, my vision of this landmark legislation has altered greatly. Professionally, I began to see a gaping hole in the law, which mandated the removal of physical barriers - providing physical access to virtually all aspects of society. By doing so, the ADA was expected to open the doors that allowed people with disabilities to become economic consumers, obtain gainful employment, and participate in all activities of their communities.

But there were no provisions for "ADA cops." If one had a problem with noncompliance - a local business did not remove the step leading into the store - the individual had to resort to either filing a private lawsuit or a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice. Unfortunately, local and state governments were not given the ability to enforce the ADA, leaving them at a loss when people with disabilities requested assistance in enforcing the basic right of physical access to stores and local businesses in compliance with this act.

With new construction, remodeling, and the rehabilitation of older buildings, many of these problems have been solved as architects, engineers, builders, and urban planners have slowly become sensitive to ADA requirements on public access. Today, accessibility to buildings is as routine as providing concrete for a walkway or lighting for a facility's interior. This is evident by the slow but steady proliferation of individuals with disabilities - especially those who use mobility devices - who are seen in and about our stores, public buildings, mass-transit systems, and other facilities that were once accessible only to the nondisabled.

One of the most anticipated benefits of the ADA - addressing the employment and underemployment of "qualified" people with disabilities - never materialized. People were preparing to enter the job force en masse, taking economic control of their lives, with less reliance on government assistance for their survival.

This didn't happen. The percentage of qualified people with disabilities seeking jobs is not much lower than it was on the day the ADA was signed into law. This was a serious blow to millions of people with disabilities, as well as to sponsors of the legislation.

As for me, the landmark legislation I witnessed being signed did make a difference in my personal life. Eight years later, I was involved in a bus accident. With a mobility impairment and relying on a power scooter to get around, I acquired a new appreciation for the goals of the ADA.

This was suddenly no abstract public policy that I tapped into as a professional to help promote an agenda of full access and participation in society. For the first time, I understood the frustration of physical barriers and appreciated compliance of the law when a facility - old or new - was accessible to me.

Great strides have been made toward reaching the goals of the ADA, but we are not there yet.

When will we know we've arrived? When the goals and objectives of this civil rights law have been fully realized. When we become blind to a person's individual disability. And when individuals with disabilities are accepted as full members of our society.