The President shared a moving story of how, in the years before Congress
passed the ADA, his father-in-law -- who had multiple sclerosis -- would
sometimes hold himself back because he didn't want his disability to
inconvenience others. With that story, President Obama reminded Americans that
"We've got to tear down barriers externally, but we also have to tear down
barriers internally."
As someone who has struggled against attitudinal barriers, I loved hearing
our President encourage the world to view access for people with disabilities as
a civil and human right.
As a deafblind student, I witnessed advocates using the ADA to change social
attitudes. The National Federation of the Blind regularly referenced the ADA
when explaining to technology developers why designing access for people with
disabilities is a necessity and not some optional cherry atop the Silicon Valley
sundaes. I heard how the National Association of the Deaf used the ADA to
increase closed-captioning online, and how Disability Rights Advocates used the
ADA to compel Target's tech team to make their website accessible to blind
Americans.
Impressed by the success of the advocates, I felt inspired to join them. Back
then, and even now, I encountered so many barriers in the digital world. Not
because of my disability, but because of attitudes among tech developers that
trivialize access for people with disabilities.
When I entered Harvard Law School, I encountered a serious question: How would a
deafblind student succeed? I remember the first time I presented my
communication system to a real-live lawyer. I felt many of the insecurities
probably experienced by President Obama's father-in-law. Would the lawyer think
I was somehow inconveniencing her or slowing her down?
Knowing the power of confidence, I hid my insecurities and put on a smile:
"Would you mind typing on this keyboard since I can't hear you? I'll be able to
read what you type on this braille display." To my surprise, she started
typing.
I started to think that maybe, just maybe, I would survive law school.
Not only does the ADA make it possible for people with disabilities to obtain
a world-class education, but it also empowers us to overcome our own
insecurities in pursuit of our dreams. Two years after law school, through my
work at Disability Rights Advocates, I helped achieve a legal victory in
National Federation of the Blind v. Scribd, the second decision to hold
that the ADA applies to e-commerce.
Twenty-five years after the ADA, advocates still encounter attitudinal
barriers among tech companies that continue to insist that they don't have to
provide access for people with disabilities. Given the necessity of accessing
online services in today's world, all of us with disabilities will continue to
turn to the ADA to tear down barriers.
President Obama leads our nation in the quest to remove external and internal
barriers. I received the honor of meeting our President at the White House
celebration of the 25th anniversary of the ADA. Even though he had never
communicated with a deafblind person through a digital braille display and
QWERTY keyboard, he gracefully switched from speaking to typing.
Through our conversation, I experienced the genuine warmth of our President,
his attentiveness to people, his understanding of the value of technology in
connecting people, and his sincere belief that people with disabilities, like
his father-in-law, should never let attitudinal barriers stop us from pursuing
our dreams.
Do you have stories of the ADA helping you tear down internal
barriers, digital barriers, or physical barriers? Share your stories using the
hashtag #OurADAStories.
Best,
Haben
Haben Girma
Skadden Fellowship Attorney
Disability Rights Advocates
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