Stories from the ADA
Stacy Bobo
Even with having a walker there are still many challenges that I face each day that most people often take for granted. If I could give people one word of advice, it would be to honor the body that they are housed in and never forget how much they are blessed to navigate through life with ease.
M. Cunningham
I was a journeyman butcher for Farmer Jack and was injured on the job. The ADA played a part in how I was able to take my leave and work through it.
Mefi Barrera
I am impressed by the people who had polio who fought so hard with the occupations of the buildings in San Francisco [and those who] made sure that the government finally signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. I am the beneficiary of what they fought for. It's important for me not to forget their efforts. And to basically follow their lead to make sure that the future generations with a disability have a better country than the one I have.
Darryl Goldberg
Darryl was very happy to participate and wanted to let everyone know about his wonderful girlfriend.
Marguerite Maddox
Some people may become disabled later in life, so the ADA is designed to work for everyone.
Timothy Bowen
We have rights to get disability benefits if we get injured on the job. More places we go to need to be inclusive for people with disabilities. They need to have disabled people in mind when they are designing public buildings like restaurants. People need to be able to get to the table. They have the right to go, too.
Lawrence Franklin III
I read Judy Heumann's book and it made me think about how a disabled person may have to live their life. Take a moment to think about what they have to ask from people and how big of a task that can be. That we don't even think about the aspect of figuring out what is important to ask someone. We take it for granted. And the ADA should help cover all areas of living and participating in our community.
Flo Friedrich
I am a big fan of Molly Burke. She is a YouTuber/content creator who is blind. I admire her for two main reasons. One, she’s the first person who ever made me think that a visual impairment is actually kind of cool, and two, while she is a disability advocate, she also does purely fashion, make up, and other content that has nothing to do with her being blind. She is intentional about the message that disabled people are also just normal people with normal interests doing normal things, and that we are approachable and human.
Sara Krahel
A lot of people have said to me, like, I make using a wheelchair look easy, effortless, things like that, but there’s a lot of thought that goes into any kind of movement that I make. Like leaving my house and all that stuff. I’ve just done it my whole life so I’m used to it. But that doesn’t mean it’s not hard or it doesn't stress me out or it isn’t frustrating. I’ve just learned to live with it.
Chloe Franklin
I wish people understood that the significance of the ADA does not come from the fact that it mandates compliance with specific standards for buildings and communication technology, but that the ADA is a commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities have the same civic rights as able-bodied people and are equally entitled to the ability to participate fully in society.
Val Franklin
When I was in college and applying to pharmacy school, I was removed from the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) because I brought my service dog to the test without claiming him as an “accommodation.” He was already asleep at my feet when the proctors pulled us out, saying he might bark or bite someone. It was incredibly traumatic but the system really worked for us. The company that administered the test changed their policy on service dogs and I was able to take the test again.