Celebrate 36th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) means that people with disabilities have a voice and are able to stand up for our rights. There have been many other disability rights laws passed since the 1990 ADA. It’s great that I was part of the ADA generation, when other things passed that meant that I could go to school and be a part of many conferences and meet some great people in the disability community that I am friends with. Many groups came from the signing of the ADA, like AAPD (American Association of People with Disabilities) and other groups. I did a summer job a while back, in like 2015, with the AAPD.

The ADA means making sure that when people vote, there are no problems. Now there are phone numbers that people can call if they want help voting. Before the ADA was passed, people couldn’t access voting booths and certain things like going on trips and going on trains. It’s important to vote, because your voice matters, and it’s good to express who you want to vote for.

With the ADA, I am able to choose where I live. I would say that I am able to, when I go to an airport and or take a train or any other public transportation, I can ask for help. Because of the ADA, they have to provide assistance for me. I could probably travel alone without help, but I know I have the right to get help.

Thanks to disability rights, in high school, I was able to get accommodations when I wanted to take classes. I could find peer tutors to help me in the class. I could ask teachers and students in high school for help.

With the disability rights laws that were passed, it helped people to be able to get fair housing and being able to go to college. I was able to go to college with help from many people, parents and advocates who help people with disabilities, and because of disability rights law. Under Section 504, Oakland University could have just given me a reasonable accommodation, but it took two years to win my fight to live in a college dorm.

What concerns me now is making sure that people with disabilities still have rights in schools, healthcare, making sure that people when they go to a healthcare appointment, to make sure that the tables and places are accessible. I am fortunate to live in New York State where there are good services, but I am hoping that other states will follow our program and make sure that people are able to choose where they live and how they get their team and staff and circle. Sadly, even here in New York many people with disabilities are facing cuts to their services, but we will keep advocating for ourselves.

I think it would be cool if people in the future want to move from state to state and move back home or to other cities and not have to wait nine or ten years to get Medicaid and other services.

All the best,

Micah Fialka-Feldman

Micah Fialka-Feldman is a self-advocate, disability rights activist and friend of Syracuse Cultural Workers who teaches at Syracuse University. Micah wrote this piece with help from his good friend Rebecca Garden. Learn more about Micah.

PS: Check out Syracuse human rights advocate and Peace Calendar Committee member Agnes McCray's reflections on the ADA anniversary.

https://syracuseculturalworkers.com/collections/disability-rights