The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was a game changer for people with disabilities. On July 26 we celebrate the 31st Anniversary of the ADA being signed into law.
While 31 years isn’t a milestone anniversary, we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries every year. We don’t skip the odd years in favor of the milestones because every year adds new experiences, wisdom, and progress.
July 26th marks one more year of voluntary compliance that allows people with disabilities access to buildings, programs and services, employment opportunities and more. This year marked significant advancement in representation. We saw more people with disabilities than ever before in books, streaming media and on the big and small screens.
As the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act approaches, we encourage you to take a moment and mark the anniversary. Whether you celebrate, learn more, take action, or look back and remember, we all should mark the occasion and appreciate it every year.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Take a minute, seven actually, and look back at the 1990 ADA signing ceremony. It is reported to be the largest signing ceremony ever for a U.S. law.
- Think bigger than the ADA Anniversary date and consider A Yearlong Plan for Disability Inclusion in your workplace.
- Brush up on Employment Myths and Facts surrounding people with disabilities and employment opportunities.
- Look beyond the ADA and learn about the Three Important Federal Laws that Protect People with Disabilities.
- Finally, the ADA Anniversary website offers up several great ideas for celebrating this year.
Resources from our Blog
- Step up your self-advocacy game: Understand self-advocacy and what it looks like in practice.
- Find out how everyday people, community groups and lawmakers can help fill the gaps and tackle the inequities that continue to prevent people with disabilities from living up to their full potential.
- Enjoy a book, television series or movie featuring people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Commit to connecting with your community. Here are Three Options to Connect with Community.
Enjoy your 31st Anniversary celebration. We’ll celebrate together again next year.