Tomorrow is the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities act being signed into law. The ADA was monumental because it made the field more level for physically challenged people, like me, in relation to our able-bodied counterparts. Suddenly, the world opened for people like me. I could get an education, vote, be employed, and go to any business knowing that business had to be accessible. In other words, be a whole lot more like everybody else. The rights that law guarantees me, and my fellow physically challenged Americans are taken for granted quite often by our able-bodied counterparts.
The ADA allows me to be a productive member of society just like everybody else. I do not take that for granted because for a very long time I did not have that guarantee. It is more important than ever tom educate my audience on the significance of the ADA because the number of people who benefit from that law every single day is increasing. The law means that I am a valued member of the American Society. It means that I do not have to hide away in my apartment from the world. I can use my voice to talk about my experience with cerebral palsy and continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with my condition every day. Learning to thrive with my condition will be a lifelong process, but The ADA means that I can do so without fear of discrimination.
I am so thankful to former president George HW Bush foreseeing the physically challenged community as people worthy of having access to a full life. I wish I had got to thank him in person, but every year on the anniversary of The ADA I make sure I thank him on this blog which is the best I can do. I want to thank all of you for seeing me just as I am and for continuing to take this journey with me as I talk about my life on a regular basis. Barring any more technical difficulties and life curveballs, blog post should pick back up to one to two a week depending on the week.