Next month is the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and ADA wasn’t something I ever really thought about. It was growing up with an aunt that used a wheelchair that so many things weren’t thought about, they came automatic. And while public places had accessible accommodations, it didn’t mean it was accessible to my aunt.
She had her own apartment, drove her own car, but if some place had one step they somehow failed to consider or the restroom didn't have a type of bar on the correct side for her, it wasn't accessible for her. For any family get together, it was known which restaurants had the right bar placement or which county parks had terrain that was less challenging to navigate. The places most accessible, we frequented with gratitude.
My aunt had polio when she was younger and over time, loss the use of her legs. Even though she was always independent and it didn't slowed her down, it was a reminder that you don’t know what accommodations you may or may not need at some point in your life.
My father-in-law’s dad drove a bus in Milwaukee and I had heard some of the stories before about how much he enjoyed it. Recently, however, I heard a new one that involved ADA. As much as he enjoyed being a bus operator, it was when they installed lifts – and because they installed them – that he quit. He was close enough to retirement age and with the pressure on operators about times and schedules, he felt the lifts would add time and he was mad.
It was hard to hear. But, I’m glad I recently had been given the book To Ride the Public’s Buses: The Fight that Built a Movement for it gave insight on what people on various sides were thinking at the time. The book is an anthology of articles that appeared in The Disability Rag between 1980 and 1996. For someone not involved in public transportation at the time, it gave a glimpse into the depth of the fight and how much has evolved.
While ADA has worked to ensure equal opportunity to all, there will always be areas of grey. It's not something completely of the past as a private transportation provider removing ramps on a used bus to accommodate more comfortable seating has recently been in the news. Having a better understanding of all sides gives appreciation to what challenges people were facing but two things stand out most: improved accessibility translates to improved and better access for everyone and for anyone that is able-bodied, that could change.