July 26, 2022, marks the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The ADA is a civil rights law that affirms and protects the rights of people with disabilities to participate in public life. It forbids discrimination on the basis of disability in the areas of employment, government services, public accommodations, access to transportation, and communications. Under the ADA, employers are also required to make reasonable accommodations for applicants or employees with a disability.
In honor of its 32nd birthday, here’s how we got this landmark law, which continues to be relevant today.
The ADA was passed 32 years ago, but its history goes back much further than that. While smaller grassroots efforts had been going on for years, by the 1960s, the civil rights movement had brought national attention to barriers in employment, public transportation, and housing. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbid discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, but it left out individuals with disabilities.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 made some headway when it prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability in federally funded programs, but disability advocates called for additional protections to ensure equal opportunities in other areas of public life.
With the support of individual activists and groups like The Arc, the ADA was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. The ADA was later amended in 2008 to protect a broader range of individuals with disabilities. Today, the results of the ADA can be seen in nearly every public space, from curb cuts in sidewalks, to ramps and elevators in buildings and closed captions on TV.
Although the ADA has made significant strides toward equality for people with disabilities in public life, there’s still a long way to go. People with disabilities are twice as likely to live in poverty and four times more likely to experience homelessness. They experience higher rates of unemployment, and those who are employed earn less than workers who do not have a disability. They also face poorer health outcomes and barriers in access to healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified these inequalities, with the virus taking a higher toll on people with disabilities.
As we celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the ADA, we reflect on what the law means for the one in four Americans living with a disability, and recommit to the work that still needs to be done to ensure full inclusion and participation for all people with disabilities.
Here are 32 ways service providers can celebrate the ADA anniversary:
1. Download and share the ADA fact sheet.
2. Include information about the history and importance of the ADA in your staff newsletter. Please feel free to copy and paste the information above!
3. Demonstrate the use of assistive devices such as mobility aids, screen readers, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
4. Host an online or in-person panel discussion to understand the impact the ADA has had on the lives of individuals with disabilities. Summarize the feedback and share it with local leaders like the Chamber of Commerce.
5. Send your staff to ADA training. The ADA National Network offers a variety of training opportunities.
6. If you have a child or younger siblings, talk to them about the ADA. Here is a guide for kids up to grade 5, grades 6-8, and grade 9 and up.
7. Share these ADA cartoons, created by the Northeast ADA Center and Cornell University.
8. Hold a poster contest, “What The ADA Means To Me”.
9. Host an art show featuring works by individuals with disabilities.
10. Join a Twitter chat. The ADA Network hosts quarterly Twitter chats related to the Americans with Disabilities Act at #ADANetworkChat.
11. Participate in a disability pride parade. You can find one in your area by Googling “disability pride parade + [your city]”.
12. Organize a TED Talk watch party for your staff. Here’s a list of great TED Talks on accessibility and inclusion.
13. Share what the ADA means to you using the hashtag #ThanksToTheADA.
14. Tune in to the ADA Anniversary Update on July 19, 2022 from 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET and hear from representatives of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) .
15. Conduct a site survey to ensure your facility is accessible, and encourage community partners and local businesses to do the same. The New England ADA Center provides a free ADA checklist for existing facilities.
16. Survey your website for accessibility using a free tool like the Accessibility Checker.
17. Attend a disability conference or event.
18. Read a book by an author with a disability.
19. Host a guest blogger to discuss disability inclusion.
20. Volunteer at an organization that promotes accessibility and inclusion. For example, Habitat for Humanity helps build affordable homes or renovate existing houses to make them more accessible for people with disabilities.
21. If you believe you or someone else has been discriminated against because of a disability, visit ada.gov to learn how to file a complaint.
22. Go on an accessibility scavenger hunt. This worksheet from the Vermont Statewide Independent Living Council is designed for schools, but could be easily adapted to other environments.
23. Feature the ADA anniversary logo on your website.
24. Watch a movie about accessibility and inclusion.
25. Tweet or post about the ADA anniversary. Make your content accessible by providing alt-text for images and captions or transcripts for videos.
26. Host a lunch-and-learn and invite a guest speaker with a disability to talk about their experience with the ADA.
27. Showcase profiles of employees or clients with disabilities on your social media.
28. Review the accessibility and inclusivity of your policies and practices using the Section 188 Disability Reference Guide.
29. Locate your regional ADA Center. The centers provide local assistance, as well as resources for implementing the ADA.
30. Listen to the ADALive! podcast.
31. Download the disability events calendar to identify other events where you can raise awareness about disabilities and inclusion throughout the year.
32. If you are a service provider, share these ideas with your staff and community partners to spread the word.
There you have it: 32 ways to celebrate the ADA anniversary. Which ones will you choose? For more disability-related events and observances you can participate in all year, download our free Disability Events Calendar.
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