Over 35 years ago, I introduced the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the House of Representatives. It took more than a year for Congress to move the bill to passage with a litany of hearings meant to stop the bill in its tracks. My former colleagues, Republican and Democrat, worked hard to demonstrate the impact having a civil rights law about disability would have and the compromises made to ensure rights were secured. In the end, the combined efforts of bipartisan Members of Congress, national disability leaders, and people with disabilities across the country succeeded in passing a law that would require removal of barriers preventing access to buildings and public spaces and prohibit disability discrimination.
Today, when we have more people identifying as disabled than ever before, many still cannot access places in their communities and others cannot do so with ease. We have seen dramatic improvement over the last thirty years from grocery stores to banks, schools to websites. But for too many people with disabilities, community living, a promise of the ADA, is still a daily challenge.
The ADA was meant to be the baseline or the minimum requirement to be accessible. However, it is the standard that some entities seek to achieve as the maximum requirement, whether in new construction, renovations to existing buildings or in their digital presence. It should instead instigate inclusion of people with disabilities in the design process to learn how to better meet the needs of customers, employees, and the public.
As a positive example, last year while in Washington, DC, I toured the Starbucks coffeehouse in the Union Market District. The store is more accessible and inclusive due to being built with an inclusive design framework. From the moment I walked in, to when I wrote my order while engaging with the deaf barista over the lower and easier to access counter, to seeing my order displayed on the status board next to an easier to reach handoff, the entire store is more comfortable and creates a sense of belonging. The store’s accessibility creates a better environment for everyone, not just people with disabilities.
To continue to make real change requires bringing people together and creating sustainable solutions to improve accessibility that large and small companies alike can embrace. The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), an organization I have long championed, has stepped up with several companies and non-profits, including Starbucks Coffee Company, Walmart, and CVS Health, to create a coalition for this work among entities with a shared commitment to inclusion and to expanding independence, choice, and ease for all people.
With one in four adults having a disability in the U.S., our built and virtual environments must become more accessible, especially for businesses – otherwise, people with disabilities will take their business elsewhere. Accessibility has come a long way in 35 years. In 1990, the internet was not even ten years old, and the iPhone was still 17 years away from being invented. The way we access retail has fundamentally changed. To create truly inclusive spaces, collaboration and innovation are key, including embedding the voices of the disability community in the work.
The legacy of the ADA still shines on sidewalk curb cuts, through doorways, on elevator buttons, and more. That legacy is stronger and brighter when we go beyond what is required to achieve truly inclusive spaces where all people belong.