LD Blog

Sixteen years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed the US Congress, in Iowa City (IA, US) a group of people celebrated the law’s enactment, according to Rob Daniel of the Iowa City Press-Citizen. They explained how the ADA helped them gain access to services and education, and it’s a message that deserves recounting. In these times when there is seemingly ceaseless pressure to reduce the number of children receiving special education, there was one especially well-taken comment by Chris O’Hanlon.

Chris O’Hanlon, director of the Everett Connor Center [for Independent Living in Iowa City], said the celebration was a way to remind people to keep pressure on the federal government to not narrow the definitions of what disabled is. A narrowing of the definition, he said, would cut more people off from services.

“It’s kind of funny to celebrate a law,” said O’Hanlon, who said he has arthritis and a learning disability. “It’s been 16 years, but we’re still fighting for it.”

Link to Mr. Daniel’s coverage of the event.