Bethel Defends Democracy - Celebrating the 36th Anniversary of the American Disabilities Act

(Tip: If viewing on facebook or mobilize, it is easier to read the full Bethel rally announcement with pictures here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x6Gh-AY9TdCtMsGbhP2fdhPb8BxOrHCHxKVBPAtf19Q/edit?usp=drivesdk ) Please join us for our 74th consecutive community rally to Defend Democracy in beautiful downtown Bethel. While our overall theme is Defending Democracy, each week we pick a specific focus. On Saturday, August 1st, 11am - 12:30pm (90 mins), our focus is: Celebrating the 36th Anniversary of the American Disabilities Act July marks the 36th anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 — a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability in all aspects of public life. The ADA became law because disabled people organized, protested and demanded their civil rights. Signed into law on July 26, 1990, it resulted from years of tireless activism, organizing, and protests. Events like the 1990 Capitol Crawl, where activists pulled themselves up the steps of Congress, forced the nation to confront the literal barriers disabled people faced every day—barriers to buildings, transportation, and equal rights in education. 1990 The Capitol Crawl: Over 60 activists abandoned their wheelchairs and mobility aids to crawl up the 83 stone steps of the U.S. Capitol, visually exposing structural barriers and forcing Congress to pass the stalled ADA. https://youtu.be/UyCbp671rmE?si=fOhE53yKQEscSA77 Events like the 1977 25-day Section 504 sit-in also pushed the country to act. Disabled activists occupied the San Francisco Federal Building for 26 days—the longest sit-in at a federal building in U.S. history—to demand enforcement regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which states that federally funded organizations could not discriminate against people with disabilities. The Netflix documentary Crip Camp, produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, includes inspiring documentary footage of the protest. https://youtu.be/OFS8SpwioZ4?is=QZpH3ZvF7RgLqGJU Thirty-six years later, we honor the movement that won the ADA and continue the fight to remove barriers that still limit where people can work, learn, travel, and participate in everyday life freely. David Capozzi, who served as the executive director of the U.S. Access Board and oversaw the development of the ADA's accessibility guidelines, said the law's biggest successes have been in public transportation. Prior to the passage of the ADA, 65% of the buses in the U.S. were accessible. According to a 2020 survey by the Federal Transit Administration, more than 97% of buses are ADA accessible. Other successes include accessibility in public spaces—entry ramps, Braille on signs, automatic doors, curb cuts and more. These have made it easier for the more than 61 million Americans living with disabilities to participate fully in society. But the ADA has its limits. Thirty years later, experts say that many of the ADA’s promises of universal accessibility have not come to pass—in part because laws like Section 504 and the ADA are predicated on someone litigating, explains Beth Ziebarth, who directs Access Smithsonian, the branch of the Smithsonian Institution that works to make its museums, zoo and research centers accessible to all. “The mechanism for actually implementing the ADA, in many respects, is the process of somebody with a disability filing a complaint about the lack of accessibility,” Ziebarth says. “That leads to spotty compliance across the country.” Air travel—an industry not covered by the ADA—has become “worse and worse” for people with disabilities over the years. Technology companies, too, often lag behind in providing accessibility measures for users with disabilities—contributing to what’s known as the “digital divide.” The ADA deserves to be celebrated. But it can't be seen as the final destination for disability rights. Economic insecurity, lack of access to healthcare, and limited employment opportunities continue to affect disabled people at disproportionate rates. The rights of disabled people have been hard-won. Recent developments, such as the "Big Beautiful Bill", hurt the rights and care protected by the ADA by slashing federal Medicaid funding, imposing strict work rules, and creating new institutional barriers. This reminds us that equity achieved is not equity secured. ********************** We are excited to have our friend, Jeremy Farrell back with us as a speaker again! Jeremy will celebrate the 36th anniversary of the American With Disabilities Act by discussing this legacy of activism that led up to it and the bravery and persistence involved. He will talk about how far we’ve come, as well as how far we still have to go with fighting for disability rights. Jeremy K. Farrell is a professional advocate for autistic individuals, and a proud autistic person himself. He has worked as a mentor, tutor, business consultant, and professional speaker. He has…

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