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The White House
Celebrating 25
Years of ADA
I recently had the honor of introducing President Obama at a White
House reception commemorating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The President shared a moving story of how, in the years before
Congress passed the ADA, his father-in-law -- who had multiple
sclerosis -- would sometimes hold himself back because he didn't want
his disability to inconvenience others. With that story, President
Obama reminded Americans that "We've got to tear down barriers
externally, but we also have to tear down barriers internally."
As someone who has struggled against attitudinal barriers, I loved
hearing our President encourage the world to view access for people
with disabilities as a civil and human right.
As a deafblind student, I witnessed advocates using the ADA to change
social attitudes. The National Federation of the Blind regularly
referenced the ADA when explaining to technology developers why
designing access for people with disabilities is a necessity and not
some optional cherry atop the Silicon Valley sundaes. I heard how the
National Association of the Deaf used the ADA to increase
closed-captioning online, and how Disability Rights Advocates used the
ADA to compel Target's tech team to make their website accessible to
blind Americans.
Impressed by the success of the advocates, I felt inspired to join
them. Back then, and even now, I encountered so many barriers in the
digital world. Not because of my disability, but because of attitudes
among tech developers that trivialize access for people with
disabilities.
When I entered Harvard Law School, I encountered a serious question:
How would a deafblind student succeed? I remember the first time I
presented my communication system to a real-live lawyer. I felt many of
the insecurities probably experienced by President Obama's
father-in-law. Would the lawyer think I was somehow inconveniencing her
or slowing her down?
Knowing the power of confidence, I hid my insecurities and put on a
smile: "Would you mind typing on this keyboard since I can't hear you?
I'll be able to read what you type on this braille display." To my
surprise, she started typing.
I started to think that maybe, just maybe, I would survive law school.
Not only does the ADA make it possible for people with disabilities to
obtain a world-class education, but it also empowers us to overcome our
own insecurities in pursuit of our dreams. Two years after law school,
through my work at Disability Rights Advocates, I helped achieve a
legal victory in National Federation of the Blind v. Scribd, the second
decision to hold that the ADA applies to e-commerce.
Twenty-five years after the ADA, advocates still encounter attitudinal
barriers among tech companies that continue to insist that they don't
have to provide access for people with disabilities. Given the
necessity of accessing online services in today's world, all of us with
disabilities will continue to turn to the ADA to tear down barriers.
President Obama leads our nation in the quest to remove external and
internal barriers. I received the honor of meeting our President at the
White House celebration of the 25th anniversary of the ADA. Even though
he had never communicated with a deafblind person through a digital
braille display and QWERTY keyboard, he gracefully switched from
speaking to typing.
Through our conversation, I experienced the genuine warmth of our
President, his attentiveness to people, his understanding of the value
of technology in connecting people, and his sincere belief that people
with disabilities, like his father-in-law, should never let attitudinal
barriers stop us from pursuing our dreams.
Best,
Haben Girma
Skadden Fellowship Attorney
Disability Rights Advocates
From the Office of National Drug Control Policy
This year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the passage of an
historic piece of legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). For the millions of Americans living with a disability, the ADA
provides protection from discrimination and guarantees equal
opportunities in order to promote accommodations that can help people
live full, productive lives. As someone in long-term recovery from a
substance use disorder, I strongly share this ideal.
Just as people with physical disabilities benefit under the ADA, people
in recovery from substance use disorders are also protected by this
landmark legislation . Our communities have a lot in common - we
both face some of the same discrimination, stigma, and historical
restriction of opportunities. Our shared experience brings us together.
With approximately 56.7 million Americans living with a disability and
an estimated 21.6 million Americans living with a substance use
disorder, we are a significant portion of the US population. 12 Despite
our numbers, we still face stigma and discrimination in healthcare,
education, housing, and employment. The Office of National Drug Control
Policy (ONDCP) is working to dismantle the stigma experienced by
individuals with substance use disorders, just as the National Council
on Disability (NCD) and many others are working to abolish
discrimination and stigma surrounding all disabilities. If we
combine our numbers, our voices, and our collective experience, we have
the opportunity to make our voices heard in all walks of life.
As we celebrate the ADA, let us commit to join forces to address the
common challenges faced by our communities. Together, we can work on
increasing access to treatment for all people and create a higher
standard of care and accommodations through cultural competency
training. We can make a significant impact in destigmatizing
disability, encouraging compassion and tolerance, and advocating for
equality for all persons.
We can carry out that work today, as we celebrate the ADA. But we can
also continue that work as we celebrate National Alcohol and Drug
Addiction Recovery Month. Each September, ONDCP joins with the millions
of people in recovery to observe Recovery Month, and I want to ask you
to join the celebration. This year the theme is "Join the Voices
for Recovery: Visible, Vocal, Valuable!"
Together, we can join voices to reduce stigma and spread our shared
message of effective treatment and successful recovery for anybody with
a substance use disorder or disability.
For more resources and to learn more, please visit these links:
- http://www.recoverymonth.gov/
- http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/disability/
- https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/
- http://www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/
- http://www.facingaddiction.org/
- http://www.transformingyouthrecovery.org/
- http://youngpeopleinrecovery.org/
- https://www.ncd.gov
1 2010 Census data,
http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf
2 2013 National Drug Use and Health Survey,
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-SR200-RecoveryMonth-2014/NSDUH-SR200-RecoveryMonth-2014.htm
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