Celebrating 31 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act

July 26th marks 31 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush. The Act was put in place to prohibit discrimination against disabled Americans in a plethora of areas; such as transportation, employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government’ programs and services.  

Here are three ways you can help support and celebrate the ADA:  

LEARN: 

Staying informed is one of the simplest ways to kick of the festivities. While a piece of legislation can be challenging to dissect there are many other ways to stay informed. 

• Visit the ADA National Network to read the timeline of the Americans with Disabilities Act: https://adata.org/ada-timeline  

• Listen to the “A.D.A. Now!” episode of NPR’s podcast, Throughline. The episode offers first-person stories about the movement 

• Watch the documentary “Crip Camp – A Disability Revolution” on Netflix. It features a summer camp full of teens with disabilities pushing towards equality.

SHARE: 

Use social media to share your support of the Americans with Disabilities Act: 

I am proud to support the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 31st Anniversary. On July 26th, this important civil rights law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. #ADA31 #ThanksToTheADA 

GET INVOLVED: 

Whether you sign up to be a participant or be a volunteer, there are many fun and exciting adaptive and special needs programs. The Y offers a multitude of adaptive and special needs programs. Programs like: 

• Angel Camp 

• Miracle League Baseball 

• Buddy Sports 

• Champions League 

• Swimming 

• Yoga 

Written by: Marie McGrew

Marketing & Communications Intern

Our Commitment to Inclusion: The Y is made up of people of all ages and from every walk of life working side by side to strengthen communities. Together we work to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, age, cultural background, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender identity, ideology, income, national origin, race or sexual orientation has the opportunity to reach their full potential with dignity. Our core values are caring, honesty, respect and responsibility—they guide everything we do.