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Your 18th birthday is around the corner. Like most of your friends, you are excited about reaching that special milestone and officially becoming an adult. However, unlike the rest of your friends, you’re nervous because you don’t have a plan for what’s next. As a teen in foster care, your group home has provided shelter and care, but not guidance for developing an independent life. You don’t know much about budgeting finances, exploring college, or how to find a job. Aging out of foster care is a daunting reality.

 

PRIDE Industries offers employment services for youth aging out of foster care. The program is designed to ease the transition out of foster care and help you reach your goals. You will have access to coaching, mentoring, training, internships, job placement training, and community resources, so you will be well equipped for your journey to a fulfilling life.

 

One member of PRIDE Industries’ foster youth employment services team is AbilityOne Recruiter Dustin Spears. Having grown up in the foster care system, he understands what it’s like to develop a career without much support. Today, Dustin is using his experience and expertise to help others like himself who are aging out of foster care. As part of his role at PRIDE, he partners with several nonprofits and governmental organizations to place our Inclusive Talent Solutions staffing line at companies like Amazon. In his own words, Dustin shares his story along with some advice:

Dustin Spears
AbilityOne Recruiter Dustin Spears understands what it’s like to develop a career without much support

From Foster Youth Services to Independence

“90% of youth in foster care end up repeating the cycle by having their children placed in the system as well.”

Hearing this statement completely chilled me as I sat in a classroom one afternoon. That day, I made a promise to myself that this wouldn’t happen to me. I had to break this pattern.

 

For kids in foster care, reaching that 18th birthday is hard. You know that you will soon be on your own without a lot of guidance or fallback support. Since the age of 11, I had bounced in and out of 12 group homes. In some ways, it was my choice: I did not feel comfortable being placed with a foster family. When I was 16, I knew I wanted to take control of my life—the first step was testing out and graduating high school two years early.

 

This time was definitely challenging for me. I started college while I was working two full-time jobs, one at Carl’s JR as an Assistant Manager and another for a transportation company.  It was hard, but I made the best of it and managed to support myself. I stuck with it, and along the way I learned valuable skills and lessons, like the importance of good customer service.

 

At age 21, I decided to switch gears to work in group homes for foster youth. Because I’d been in the same situation, I knew what these kids were going through. I was eventually promoted from a behavioral health associate to a manager. For several years, I managed a rehabilitation facility for children.

 

I’ve long known that I want to make a difference in the lives of former foster youth and people with disabilities, helping them gain independence and fulfillment. So when I got the chance to join PRIDE Industries in 2018 as an AbilityOne recruiter, I was thrilled.

Paying it Forward: Supporting Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care

In my role with PRIDE Industries, I work with referrals, including former foster youth, to place them into jobs with PRIDE or through our partners in Southern California. So far in 2020, I have helped place over 25 youth into jobs at Amazon through our Inclusive Talent Solutions program.

 

What’s unique about PRIDE is the cycle of support that we offer, including job placement, vocational mentorship, training, and ongoing job coaching. We want to ensure that everyone succeeds in reaching their full potential. For every referral that I receive, I take the time to meet them and evaluate their goals, interests, and skills.

 

My advice for youth transitioning out of foster care is not to let your past define you. When searching for your first job, be flexible. Any place where you can get your foot in the door and build skills and experience can help you. Once you have a job, even if you don’t like it, keep it until you get a new one.

 

Another word of advice is to take advantage of as many nonprofit and government agencies as you can, including the Department of Rehabilitation in California. They will provide extra help, connections, and resources to set you on a career path and develop a resume. Accessing these resources will require filling out paperwork and dealing with agency bureaucracies. PRIDE can help with that. Consider PRIDE another resource for you.

 

One of the most significant barriers for former foster youth entering the workforce is access to transportation, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most youth who age out of the foster care system don’t have a car. PRIDE’s staff assists with navigating the system and looking for jobs/shifts that can accommodate the public transportation schedules.

 

The last thing I’d say to fellow foster youth is to realize that the experiences you’ve had have taught you valuable lessons about patience and perseverance. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without my past. It’s brought me to a great job, and now I get to help other former foster youth find their success journey.

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On August 4, 2020, the Coast Guard turned 230 years old. Founded just fourteen years after the Revolutionary War, it’s the oldest, continuous seagoing service in the U.S, predating the U.S. Navy by eight years. The brainchild of Alexander Hamilton, this branch of the military was originally called the Revenue Marine. Its primary responsibility was to ensure the collection of customs duties at U.S. seaports, which at the time were losing substantial sums of money due to smugglers who avoided tariffs.

 

The Revenue Marine’s inaugural fleet consisted of ten sleek and speedy cutters. These topsail schooners were sometimes equipped with a swivel cannon, an indication of just how dangerous the job of a revenue mariner could be. The cutter ship soon became emblematic of the Revenue Marine, so much so that the agency quickly gained the nickname “Revenue Cutter Service”—a designation that Congress made official in 1894. The “cutter” tradition stuck, and even today, the long, high-powered boats operated by the Coast Guard are referred to as cutters.

 

By the time the Revenue Marine officially became the Revenue Cutter Service, the agency’s duties had expanded considerably. These new duties included rescuing mariners in distress, charting the coastline, defending the seacoast from military attack, and even capturing pirate ships. In 1915, the agency changed its name again, when the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the U.S Life-Saving Service to become the Coast Guard that we know today.

Small but Mighty

With only 41,000 active-duty members, the Coast Guard is the smallest branch of the armed services. But it has significant responsibilities: ensuring the safety of life at sea and enforcing U.S. maritime law. The agency is responsible for protecting 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and waterways, and even operates in international waters. The modern Coast Guard is a multi-mission service with five key roles: ensuring maritime safety, security, and mobility; providing national defense; and protecting natural resources.

 

As the frequent name changes indicate, the Coast Guard legacy is one of adaptation. While the agency’s mission remains fundamentally unchanged, the methods and tools it uses have evolved considerably in 230 years.

 

The agency’s cutters, for example, are specialized now. There are a dozen or so different types used by the Coast Guard, ranging from reliable harbor tugs to speedy patrol ships to behemoth icebreakers. Some cutters are so big that they include landing pads for helicopters, which are now a standard part of Coast Guard equipment, along with half a dozen types of planes.

 

In addition to large cutters, the Coast Guard fleet includes hundreds of smaller boats used for emergency response and related duties. (Fun fact: Cutters are Coast Guard seacraft that are at least 65 feet long. Anything smaller is a boat.)

A Legacy of Maritime Protection

The Coast Guard’s current duties extend far beyond anything the Founding Fathers could have imagined. For example, the organization now has its own special forces team. Known as the Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST), it was created in 2002 in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The MSST guards America’s seaports and protects critical shipping lanes and vessels. It is the only special forces team authorized to arrest submerged scuba divers.

 

Another of the Coast Guard’s lesser-known responsibilities is its leadership in the International Ice Patrol. The Ice Patrol was founded in 1913, just months after the HMS Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg, killing over 1,500 passengers and crew. Today, the International Ice Patrol monitors the North Atlantic Ocean and alerts the maritime community to any dangerous icebergs. Although the International Ice Patrol is supported by a consortium of thirteen nations, responsibility for Patrol operations rests solely with the Coast Guard.

 

Even the Coast Guard’s traditional duties have expanded. Its rescue operations, for example, are more frequent and far-ranging than ever before. On average, the Coast Guard conducts 45 search-and-rescue missions and saves ten people every day. During that same 24-hour period, it will save over $1 million worth of property, and complete nearly 30 safety examinations of foreign vessels.

 

The organization’s policing duties have also grown over the past two centuries, especially as regards contraband. Though the Coast Guard has been intercepting smugglers since its inception, it must constantly adapt its methods to counteract today’s drug smugglers, who are far more sophisticated and better equipped than their predecessors.

PRIDE Welcomes Coast Guard Veterans

As with other military personnel, the training that Coast Guard members receive while in service makes them valuable employees once they return to civilian life. PRIDE Industries is fortunate to employ several Coast Guard veterans, along with dozens of veterans from other branches of the military.

 

To seek out these highly valued employees, PRIDE developed the Military Skills Translator, an online tool designed specifically for veterans. With the Skills Translator, veterans can easily determine which civilian jobs best correspond to the valuable experience they gained while serving our country.

 

At PRIDE, we see every day how veterans of the Coast Guard contribute to their communities even after they’ve left active service—a tradition that stretches all the way back to the Revenue Marine.

Pickering
Some historians believe this is the earliest known rendering of a U.S. revenue cutter. (Coast Guard Historian’s Office)

Independent living is essential for all adults, including those who have a disability. The chance to live on one’s own, hold employment, and independently complete routine tasks — all of this contributes to a person’s dignity. That’s why access to supports, resources, and assistive technology is so crucial for creating a more accessible society. 


One of the signature achievements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was to drive inclusion and spark the creation of tools and policies that enable people with disabilities to integrate into everyday life. These developments include accessible housing and employment accommodations and the invention of a wide range of adaptive devices.


In the early 1900s, in contrast, expectations and accessibility for people with disabilities were quite different. Though some efforts had been made to accommodate veterans injured by war, there was still much stigma, exclusion, and ignorance that kept wounded soldiers from fully integrating into society.

This began to change around the mid-1900s when people with disabilities and their allies began organizing to fight these restrictions, demand access, and create more opportunities for independent living.

Bessie Blount: Hero for People with Disabilities

One of the individuals working to help people with disabilities participate in society was Bessie Blount, a physical therapist, nurse, inventor, and forensic scientist. Blount had an inventive mind and a strong desire to make a difference. Over the years, this combination enabled her to improve the lives of many people with disabilities and pave the way for thousands of other innovations.

 

Bessie Blount (Griffin) never forgot receiving punishment from a school teacher when she was seven years old in the 1920s. Her infraction at the time? Only using her left hand to write, which was considered unacceptable. However, Blount didn’t just stop when she learned to write with her right hand; she also taught herself to write with her mouth and feet. Later, the skills she learned during this youthful rebellion would enable her to help others to great benefit.

 

Living in a time with incredible societal obstacles for African Americans, Blount was a true trailblazer. After she finished the sixth grade, she had to develop her own education plan, as there were no schools that offered higher education to Black children in her Virginia hometown. Furthermore, she lived in an era in which women didn’t often get to attend college. But Bessie was set on becoming a physical therapist, and through sheer force of will, she managed to attend both the Panzar College of Physical Education and Union Junior College.

Groundbreaking Innovations for Independent Living

Blount started her career during World War II. Many veterans returned from the war with disabilities; limb amputations were especially common. When Bessie encountered these soldiers during the course of her physical therapy work, she immediately set to work looking for ways to restore a sense of independence and self-esteem to them. Blount soon developed an innovative technique for teaching patients how to conduct ordinary tasks, such as writing, with their feet or mouths. Some even learned how to read Braille with their feet. According to her son, Philip Griffin, Blount also set aside a special room in their home to work with patients.

 

As cited by the Afro-American Newspaper, a doctor suggested to Blount that in order to help veterans genuinely have a sense of autonomy and live more independently, she should make something that would help them eat independently, rather than rely on support staff to feed them. Deciding to take on the challenge, Blount worked tirelessly in her kitchen, using a file, an ice pick, a hammer, dishes, and boiling water to melt plastic into a mold. The end result was the first prototype of a self-feeding device, which delivered individual bites of food from an attached machine with a simple bite on the tube.

 

For her efforts, Blount earned a patent. But she didn’t stop there. Four years and $3,000 of her own funds later, Blount created an improved model, made of stainless steel, that included built-in support for a food holder. The debut invention earned Bessie another patent and a standing ovation when she demonstrated the device at a New Jersey hospital.

 

Even though these apparatuses had the opportunity to change many people’s lives, the American Veterans Association declined to purchase any of the devices, preferring instead to use caregivers. Undaunted, Blount donated the patent rights to both her inventions in 1951 to the French government. “I wanted to show that a colored woman can invent something for the benefit of humankind,” she told Afro-American Newspaper in 1952.

Contributing to Independent Living Today

Blount’s legacy helped pave the way for the myriad of tools and supports that exist today to help people with disabilities complete everyday tasks. More importantly, Bessie’s example has inspired many within the disability community. More and more people are creating their own inventions to overcome obstacles, including self-feeding devices.

 

Ryan Hines is one of these modern inventors. Unable to eat easily due to arthrogryposis (a congenital condition that causes underdeveloped arm and leg muscles, incorrectly formed joints, and a limited range of motion), Ryan decided to take matters into his own hands, and following in the footsteps of Bessie Blount, created his own device. He explained its significance in 2016: 

 

“The Bear Paw self-feeder is important to the very small portion of the community who can’t use their hands well enough to feed themselves and their caregivers. To me, it’s essential to have the choice of independence – regardless if the person you rely on is a loving family member or spouse.”

 

No doubt Bessie Blount would have agreed with that sentiment.

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In the spirit of Bessie Blount, Ryan Hines, and other pioneers for independent living, PRIDE Industries provides employment opportunities and more for people with disabilities.
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Bessie Blout
Bessie Blount Griffin (1914 - 2009)

“The Bear Paw self-feeder is important to the very small portion of the community who can’t use their hands well enough to feed themselves and their caregivers.”

For a long time, many businesses subscribed to the myth that changing the workplace to accommodate people with disabilities did not yield a good return on investment.  Fortunately, that view is changing, as more and more studies show the benefits of creating a diverse, inclusive workplace.

Low Turnover, Low Cost Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

The data show that employees with disabilities have much higher job retention rates—eliminating the costs associated with frequent turnover:

“A three-year study at Washington Mutual, Inc. found a turnover rate of 8 percent among people with developmental disabilities, compared with an overall rate of 45% in the general population.”

www.disabled-world.com

Furthermore, it’s become clear that accommodations aren’t necessarily complex or costly. Companies are now discovering that with just a bit of imagination and effort, they’re able to attract and retain highly productive employees.

 

This is something that PRIDE Industries has known for decades. Over fifty years ago, our nonprofit was founded with a commitment to ensuring that all our employees have the tools they need to be fully productive and enjoy their work. This emphasis on person-centered training and tools has created an efficient and reliable workforce, and this, in turn, has resulted in consistently high customer satisfaction ratings. Here at PRIDE, we have experienced the benefits of diversity and inclusion at work firsthand.

 

Simple Solutions to Promote Inclusion

Contrary to myth, many of the inclusive practices that PRIDE has implemented to accommodate our employees have been simple and inexpensive. And PRIDE has been able to make these accommodations by following one basic rule: ask the employees what they need.

 

Ray Muro, a stock clerk at Fort Bliss in Texas, shows why this approach is so effective. Muro has worked at the base’s Self-Help shop since 2007, and is responsible for helping PRIDE’s military customers pick out needed parts such as paint and batteries. He also stocks new supplies and inputs customer information into the shop database.

 

Blind since birth, Ray is nevertheless able to retrieve parts and navigate the shop floor easily, thanks to the braille lettering he helped put up in the shop when he first arrived. This low-cost, inclusive solution enables Muro to be a productive employee, one who has received dozens of positive comments from both customers and supervisors.

fixture can be used with one hand
This workstation can be used with one hand

Unforeseen Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

Over the years, other PRIDE employees have developed similar approaches to overcoming workplace obstacles and promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Sometimes the solutions are logistical, like instituting extra breaks, splitting jobs between two people, or offering ASL classes for better communication. Other solutions come ready-made, like providing day planners or phones with closed captioning.

 

Often, a modification made for one person ends up helping everyone on the team. When benches were lowered to accommodate people in wheelchairs, for example, employees discovered that everyone benefited by being able to sit when needed.

 

Sometimes the search for an effective accommodation leads to a useful invention. This was the case several years ago, when employees were looking for a way to keep people from tripping on empty pallets. Even though the pallets were always kept in designated areas, people sometimes forgot that a six-inch-high pallet was on the floor.

 

Then one day, an innovative employee created the pallet flag—a bright yellow banner atop a four-foot pole, with a base that can slide under a pallet to hold the flag in place. These flags serve as easy-to-spot reminders that a pallet is on the floor, and their widespread use in PRIDE facilities has virtually eliminated trips and falls.

 

Other easy inclusion practices include clamping tools to assembly workstations, thus allowing the user to tighten bolts and perform other operations with one hand. Likewise, workstation instructions are posted in plain view, and include photographs of each step of a production process, so that non-engineers can understand them.

pallet flag
PRIDE’s pallet flags greatly reduce trips and falls.

Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: A Wise Investment

Not all inclusive workplace practices are inexpensive, of course. PRIDE maintains its own fleet of buses to transport employees to and from work. And X-ray machines designed to help with inventory count can be relatively pricey. But PRIDE has discovered that even expensive machines pay for themselves by increasing productivity and ensuring a reliable workforce for our customers.

 

PRIDE’s state-of-the-art laser cutter is a case in point. Years ago, the company invested in this machine to allow employees to make tools like jigs, templates, and screw counters. These tools are customized to a particular person or task. The templates, for example, enable employees to label kit bags quickly, with the tag in perfect alignment. Screw counters ensure that the right number of parts go into every bag. Innovations like these make kitting fast, exact, and reliable.

 

PRIDE’s commitment to giving individuals the tools they need to succeed has enabled the company to build an effective, dedicated workforce that is highly ranked by our many customers. Our approach is validated by the results. PRIDE is the nation’s leading employer of people with disabilities, and we continue to grow our lines of business.

 

Andrew Williams, Engineering Manager at PRIDE’s Roseville facility, exemplifies the inclusive workplace philosophy that has made PRIDE both a sought-after employer and a successful vendor for over fifty years.

 

“Everyone knows what equipment they need to complete their work, and my job as a manager is to make sure they have what they need,” said Williams. “The tools that work best will vary from person to person. Whether they have a disability or not isn’t the issue. It’s about equipping every employee to work to their maximum potential.”

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Engineering Manager Andrew Williams

Assistive technology devices are nothing new. According to some scholars, for example, wheelchairs have existed in one form or another since classical times. So Plato may have been familiar with these devices. A variation of this tool—the self-propelled wheelchair—has been used since the seventeenth century. Though it has undergone significant enhancements over the past few centuries, its basic design is virtually the same now as it was when it was first introduced.

 

Like the wheelchair, many common assistive devices have a long history. Braille is one example. It’s been in use since the early 19th century, when a young man named Louis Braille realized he could use a secret military code as the basis for a new system of tactile writing. Similarly, in the early 1800s, some people used “ear trumpets” to focus and amplify sound. These devices, originally manufactured by companies that made musical instruments, represent one of the earliest forms of hearing aid.

 

But while assistive devices have existed for almost as long as civilization has, the number of new technologies available today is unprecedented. Thousands of devices have been developed in the just past few decades.

A New Era for Assistive Technology Device Manufacturing

Many of today’s assistive technology devices are made possible by recent advances in robotics and miniaturization, as well as human-computer interface technology. Other devices rely less on cutting-edge developments, and instead represent the clever application of existing technology in a new way. And some devices combine the two approaches.

 

Sip-and-puff (SNP) technology is one such example. SNP was first developed in the sixties. It has long been used to allow people to operate machines like motorized wheelchairs. Now it’s often paired with a computer, enabling the user to type, play video games, and fully utilize the computer’s functions. Adaptive keyboards are another useful computer interface technology, allowing people with limited muscle control to type using fewer keystrokes. Similarly, eye tracking devices allow people to manipulate their computers and mobile devices using only eye movements.

Low Tech Assistive Devices: A New Prosthetic

The synthesis of old and new is especially pronounced in the field of prosthetics. New materials bring greater functionality to a device that has been around for thousands of years.

 

Artificial limbs are one of the oldest types of assistive devices still in common use. For example, archaeologists recently unearthed a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy with an artificial big toe. The wooden toe was so well-designed that it could even bend, enabling the wearer to walk with it. Over the next few thousand years, prosthetics improved. The use of new materials like metal and leather made artificial limbs both durable and more flexible. In the early 20th century, aluminum replaced steel as the metal of choice, making artificial limbs lighter than ever before. A few decades later, plastics and composite materials were introduced, adding durability and spring to prosthetic devices.

 

Recently, artificial limbs have undergone another transformation, thanks to 3-D printing. This technology is especially useful for children, who outgrow their prostheses repeatedly during childhood. While 3-D printed limbs aren’t as functional as those made out of other materials, they are inexpensive. So they can be replaced frequently as children grow. Their low cost also ensures that far more children around the world now have access to prosthetics.

High Tech Assistive Technology: Sensory Aids

Like mobility aids, assistive technology devices designed to enhance the senses are also becoming more sophisticated. Braille, for example, is finding its way into new applications. Braille computer keyboards and text-to-speech technologies have been around for years. Now they’ve been joined by more advanced tools. Haptic technologies, for example, use electromagnetic vibrations and ferrofluids—liquid metals—to enable computer users to feel texture on their touchscreens, bringing Braille to a new medium.


New tablet devices are also aiding communication between deaf and hearing people. There are now tablets with software that can convert American Sign Language (ASL) to speech, and vice versa, allowing deaf and hearing people to hold conversations even if only one of them knows ASL.

Recognizing Personal Choice During Rapid Technology Device Development

So what does the future hold? There are currently hundreds of new technologies in development, designed to address a wide range of disabilities. Prosthetic arms that respond to the user’s thoughts, wheelchairs that can climb stairs, hands-free artificial larynxes, smart glasses that enhance limited vision, and a host of new developments are on the horizon.

 

But while most people agree that developing new tools is a worthwhile endeavor, disability activists have one caveat: assistive technology should never be considered mandatory. Put simply, it’s not up to individuals to conform to inaccessible situations.

 

 

Exoskeletons are great for those who want them, but that doesn’t change the fact that buildings need to be wheelchair accessible. And while cochlear implants are the preferred choice for some people, not every deaf person wants one. It’s still important to have interpreters available at public functions. In other words, assistive technology devices are wonderful, but no one should ever feel obligated to use these devices.

 

Gabrielle Hodge, a deaf post-doctoral researcher at the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre at University College London, made this point recently in an interview. In her critique of a new glove that translates sign language into speech, she said it’s important for inventors to remember that technology serves us best when it focuses “on user-driven and user-centered design.”

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“It’s important for inventors to remember that technology serves us best when it focuses on user-driven and user-centered design.”

July 26, 2020 marks thirty years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These days, the ADA is considered by many to be a singular achievement in disability rights. Certainly, its importance in ensuring accessibility for all Americans is indisputable. But the fact is, the ADA didn’t happen overnight. Rather, it was the end result of decades of hard work by activists with disabilities and their allies.

 

In the United States, injured war veterans were among the first people to gain legal protections, and they set a precedent that later expanded to other groups of people with disabilities. For example, the Civilian Rehabilitation Act of 1920, which supplemented state funding of vocational services for Americans with disabilities, was modeled on the Soldiers Rehabilitation Act.

PRIDE employees in Sacramento participate in last year’s ADA Walk.

A New Era of Inclusivity Activism

The modern era of inclusivity activism began in the latter half of the 20th century, when a critical mass of people with disabilities began to challenge their second-class status in society. Up until then, society’s attitude towards those with disabilities was one of “out of sight, out of mind.” In the 19th and early 20th centuries, for example, children with disabilities were often removed from their families and sent to institutions where they spent the rest of their lives.

 

But in the 1960s, people with disabilities began to challenge society’s expectation that they remain hidden, and instead made themselves visible by demanding the right to participate fully in their communities. They staged sit-ins at federal and commercial buildings, blocked inaccessible buses, and marched through the streets with their allies to demand justice.

 

It took a few years, but eventually, the hard work began to pay off. One of the first achievements of the movement was the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 of that act specifically banned discrimination on the basis of disability by recipients of federal funds.

 

Section 504 was significant not just for the rights it guaranteed people with disabilities, but also because its enactment signaled a shift in how the larger society viewed this group. For centuries, it was assumed that people with disabilities lacked employment and education because of their disabilities. Section 504 recognized that it was, in fact, systemic discrimination that kept these individuals out of the workplace.

Section 504: A New Beginning

Section 504 was a breakthrough, but it was only a beginning. Activists realized that this policy would only be as effective as the regulations that came out of it, and so they carefully monitored the government’s next steps.

 

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) was in charge of creating the Section 504 regulations that would govern all federal agencies. Unfortunately, HEW did not prioritize these regulations, and some activists felt that the agency’s initial proposals were inadequate. Removing policy barriers was a good first step, but one that by itself would not significantly improve accessibility. It was important that the new regulations require positive action; architectural and communication barriers had to be removed to truly welcome individuals with disabilities into the wider society.

 

Recognizing this, people with disabilities set to work once again. They continued to write letters and organize protests, keeping the issue of disability rights in the public eye. Because of these efforts, a federal lawsuit was filed to force the HEW to implement Section 504 and issue appropriate regulations. In July 1976, a judge ruled in favor of individuals with disabilities, and stated that the regulations had to be issued “with no further unreasonable delays.” But even this was not enough to prompt action on the part of HEW.

 

Activists did not give up. Instead, they organized. For four years, they led sit-ins at HEW buildings all over the country. The letter-writing campaigns and direct lobbying also continued.

 

Also important was support from other interest groups. In San Francisco, a broad coalition of organizations, including the mayor’s office and even some of the HEW’s own staff, worked together to support the activists who had occupied the HEW offices. These groups provided the activists with food, mattresses, portable showers, and even phone lines, enabling them to continue their sit-in for 25 days.

 

The 504 Sit-ins didn’t end until their goal was achieved. On April 28, 1977, the head of HEW finally signed the regulations, effectively implementing Section 504. It is these regulations that form the basis of the ADA.

 

People with disabilities had won a significant victory. As Kitty Cone, one of the organizers of the 504 Sit-ins said, “We showed strength and power and courage and commitment, that we the shut-ins or the shut-outs, that we the hidden, supposedly the frail and the weak, that we could wage a struggle at the highest level of government and win.”

 

The years of activism by people with disabilities compelled the head of HEW to sign the regulations for another important piece of legislation, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. These new regulations helped break down the barriers that had kept children with disabilities isolated from their non-disabled peers, and began the process of welcoming these children into mainstream public schools, finally granting them access to equal schooling.

Toward Independence and the Signing of the ADA

In 1986, the National Council on the Handicapped (now National Council on Disability, or NCD) issued its report Toward Independence, in which it recommended the enactment of a comprehensive equal opportunity law, which the report proposed calling “The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1986.” The ADA was first put to a vote in the 100th Congress of 1988, and was passed with wide margins of support in 1990. It was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26 of that year.

 

The ADA did not end all discrimination with its passage, or ensure full accommodation for people with disabilities. But it did provide a useful framework upon which to build, and activists have made good use of this important legislative tool since its enactment.

 

Like the 1973 Act that came before it, the ADA is only as useful as the regulations it engenders. But unlike the previous legislation, regulations came more quickly this time. The early nineties saw the promulgation of regulations pertaining to employment, accessible telecommunications, and public accommodations. These regulations took effect over the next several years, so that by the end of the millennium, they were making a real difference in the lives of people with disabilities.

 

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Around the turn of the century, a series of Supreme Court rulings narrowed the scope of the ADA. Again, activists set to work, and in 2008, the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The ADAAA was specifically drafted to counteract the Supreme Court’s rulings and broaden the ADA to reflect its original intent.

 

In many ways, the Americans with Disabilities Act is just one step in what has been a long struggle for recognition of shared humanity. We celebrate the ADA not just because it is a landmark piece of legislation, but because it symbolizes this struggle, and the great strides that are possible when people unite for what is just. As the poet Bob Williams said, when commemorating the 25th anniversary of the ADA:

With all the laws,
All the gains, we press forward.

 

For equality of opportunity is not fated.
And, justice is not fixed.
They must be hard won.