This Sunday marked the 25th anniversary since the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a federal civil rights law that protects against employment discrimination and mandates accessible public spaces, transportation, government facilities, and telecommunication systems.
One-fifth of the U.S. population, or 56.7 million Americans, have physical or mental disabilities, and have historically fought a number of civil rights battles from recognition as a very present and important population to challenging negative medical labels and ideas of disability.
While ADA changed many Americans lives for the better, and though the law didn’t specifically address public and higher education beyond physical accessibility, the generation of individuals who will truly see its justice are those you may share a class with this fall.