Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with disabilities from discrimination.  ADA turns 35 years old: 7-26-2025

The Americans with Disabilities Act was to create change in our county as people with disabilities were offered legal protections against discrimination and exclusion.  The ADA framework included access and sent a clear message: disabled people belong in every part of community life.  In 1990, Congress passed the law to end "discrimination against individuals with disabilities." The ADA's purpose was to provide "a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination." It also set a vision, one that is still relevant today: "equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.".

Disability rights are civil rights. From voting to parking, the ADA is a law that protects people with disabilities in many areas of public life. For families who have raised a person with a disability, finding a job with equal pay and benefits is still an ongoing challenge.

A recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job reports, the ADA goals continue to be out of reach.  Based on this new data, 35 years after the passage of the ADA, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities (ages 16-64) rose to 38 % in May 2025 (up 1.6 %).  For people without disabilities (ages 16-64), 74.8 % in May 2025 (down 0.4 %).

People with disabilities have parents, siblings, relatives and neighbors, who continue to fight for community inclusion.  Community Inclusion builds stronger schools, smarter policies, more responsive workplaces. Employers who hire people with disabilities utilize the talents and contributions of the largest underutilized work force.  Rarely are they hired for high paying jobs, although they work extremely hard.   Many people with disabilities with college degrees submit dozens of applications and rarely make the interview process.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was not the Grand Finale- it was the starting point in society to end the stigma of being different, disadvantaged and isolated in their community by opening the gates to equal opportunities.

According to statistics from "Disability and American Families," 2 out of every 7 of the 72.3 million families included in the US Census Bureau Report have at least one member with some form of disability. For working parents of a child with special needs, the challenges can be monumental. These parents also face financial restraints due to their unique parental demands as they struggle to gain their own professional status. 

Disability is a natural and valuable part of human diversity. It is also the one group any of us can join at any time. That means this fight is not just about people with disabilities, it is about all of us. Inclusion is the cornerstone of our society to mirror our values.