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ADA Turns 15
FortWayne.com
July 26, 2005
Today marks the 15th year of the Americans with Disabilities Act. While the law has improved access for people with disabilities, it has not eradicated discrimination.
A good way for the community to acknowledge the anniversary is to ask how much the law has changed the lives of those with disabilities and where there is need for improvement.
Lanette Robinson's 13-year-old daughter, Markesha Jones, has cerebral palsy. Until two years ago, Jones used a walker, but she lost most of the functioning in her legs and arms and now uses a wheelchair. When asked how the Americans with Disabilities Act has changed things for her daughter Robinson flatly replies, "The law is there."
More important to Robinson is changing people's attitudes toward people with disabilities. The law is a tool to fight for access, but it can't change how people think or feel.
Jones, who will start the eighth grade at Northwood Middle School this fall, is a bright girl. She scored well above average on every section of the ISTEP+.
She has talked with her mother about a future career in science or law. Robinson has no doubts about her daughter's abilities to find cures for diseases or to be a great judge, but she worries about whether her daughter will get the opportunity.
Last year, Jones was a member of the North Side High School track team, leading teammates onto the track before meets. She can't run; she just wanted to be a part of the team. Her participation on the team did not happen without some obstacles. Robinson had to negotiate a solution for transportation problems.
Although Robinson says the law has given her daughter better access to buildings, it hasn't necessarily helped her daughter achieve inclusion in the community. She gives the example of special days set aside at the zoo, a museum or the circus for people with disabilities.
Most people with disabilities don't want a special day; they prefer to participate with everybody else.
Nancy Louraine, executive director of the Turnstone Center for Disabled Children and Adults, says that when the ADA became the law, many business owners were afraid "because all they saw was the expense." Her organization tries to educate companies that accessibility can be achieved in fairly easy and inexpensive ways.
Businesses need to understand that people with disabilities are also consumers, and making it easier for them to spend their money with their companies is good for business.
The law not only improves access for people with disabilities, it also makes life easier for the elderly and families using strollers.
The law has not caused every door to immediately fling open. But the ADA gives legal standing to the assumption that all Americans should have the ability to participate in society. It has caused many to reassess what they do to encourage inclusion.
But progress needs to continue so that by the time Jones graduates from college, she, and not her disability, will decide her career path
- be it judge, scientist or high school track coach.
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