VOICES OF FREEDOM:
AMERICA SPEAKS OUT ON THE ADA

A REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS

July 26, 1995

National Council on Disability
1331 F Street NW
Suite 1050
Washington, DC 20004-1107

(202) 272-2004 Voice
(202) 272-2074 TT
(202) 272-2022 Fax

The views contained in this report do not necessarily represent those of the Administration, as this document has not been subjected to the A-19 Executive Branch review process.

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

July 26, 1995

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The National Council on Disability is pleased to submit to you this report, entitled Voices of Freedom: America Speaks Out on the ADA. Under its Congressional mandate, the National Council on Disability is charged with the responsibility to gather information on the implementation, effectiveness, and impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This report describes the implementation of this landmark civil rights legislation from the perspectives of people with disabilities in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Over the past several months, the Council has met with thousands of people with disabilities, with their family members, with business people, and with public servants. Our overall conclusion from these meetings is that the ADA is beginning to create positive and, at times, dramatic changes in the lives of people with disabilities. However, given the many areas where compliance has not yet been achieved, and in recognition of the relatively brief time in which the law has been in effect, it is clear that further efforts are necessary in order to increase public awareness of the Act, furnish education and clarification to covered entities regarding the provisions of the Act, and provide the resources required to encourage voluntary compliance and ensure effective enforcement.

In this report we also address some of the myths that have arisen regarding the ADA. As with any legislation that addresses the painful subject of prejudice in our society, the ADA has been under attack. This report, which describes the real-life experiences of thousands of citizens with disabilities as well as all credible research on this topic to date, challenges these myths.

Today, as we observe--and celebrate--the fifth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I once again pledge our unwavering commitment to ensuring that equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self- sufficiency become realities in the lives of Americans with disabilities. Under your leadership, I remain confident that we can continue to build an America where all citizens have equal access to the achievement of these important goals.

Sincerely,

Marca Bristo
Chairperson

(This same letter was sent to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.)

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY MEMBERS AND STAFF

MEMBERS

Marca Bristo, Chairperson
John A. Gannon, Vice Chairperson
Yerker Andersson
Ellis B. Bodron
Larry Brown, Jr.
John D. Kemp
Ela Yazzie-King
Audrey McCrimon
Bonnie O'Day
Lilliam R. Pollo
Debra Robinson
Shirley W. Ryan
Michael B. Unhjem
Rae E. Unzicker
Kate P. Wolters

STAFF

Speed Davis, Acting Executive Director
Billie Jean Hill, Program Specialist
Jamal Mazrui, Program Specialist
Mark S. Quigley, Public Affairs Specialist
Brenda Bratton, Executive Secretary
Stacey S. Brown, Staff Assistant
Janice Mack, Administrative Officer

ABSTRACT

Throughout the five years that have passed since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, the National Council on Disability has monitored the progress of its implementation. Between February and June 1995, in keeping with its commitment to the Nation's citizens with disabilities, the Council visited all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands in order to learn how effective the ADA has been to date in ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for Americans with disabilities.

In meeting with thousands of people with disabilities, as well as with family members of people with disabilities, business people, and public servants, the Council discovered that the ADA has resulted in real, concrete progress. The report that follows documents real changes in the lives of real people. It demonstrates that:

• People with disabilities are proud to be equal American citizens.
  
  
• Children and youth with disabilities are encouraged to go to school, to participate in and learn from their communities, and to prepare for jobs.
  
  
• Adults with disabilities are finding a reduction in employment barriers and more freedom to travel in their communities, and they are becoming customers of accessible businesses.
  
  
• Families are encouraged to stay together and to participate fully in the lives of their communities.
  
  
• Businesses are changing their policies, their facilities, and their attitudes.
  
  
• Villages, cities, counties, and States are looking at people with disabilities as real citizens.
  
  
• Public awareness of the needs, contributions, and rights of people with disabilities has improved significantly.

People with disabilities are still far from the America promised by the ADA, but the discrimination, misinformation, stereotypes, and environmental barriers that have accumulated over thousands of years of human history are beginning to crumble. The single greatest barrier to the successful implementation of the ADA continues to be the myths that have been created regarding its requirements, its costs, and its intended effects. All across America, citizens testified that when these myths were dispelled, compliance was relatively easy and the results were beneficial. Through publication of this report, we hope to challenge these myths, and to demonstrate the tremendous positive impact the ADA can have in creating a better America for us all.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

The Americans with Disabilities Act Five Years After Passage: A Time for Reflection
The National Council on Disability's Continuing Interest in the ADA
The National Town Meeting Tour

Summary of Major Findings

The ADA: Greater Access to the Physical Environment
The ADA: Increased Access to Employment Opportunities
The ADA: Easier Communication, Easier Mobility
The ADA: Modest Costs in Spite of Exaggerated Predictions
ADA Compliance: Chiefly Voluntary, Not Lawsuit-Based
The ADA: Strengthening the Roles and Self-Image of Americans with Disabilities
The ADA: Creating Positive Changes in American Culture
Conclusion: Equality of Opportunity, Full Participation, Independent Living, Economic Self-Sufficiency - A Formula for Success in American Public Policy

Summaries of Town Meetings

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

APPENDICES

Appendix A: A Brief Description of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Appendix B: A Brief Description of the National Council on Disability
Appendix C: The ADA National Tour: Locations and Dates for Town Meetings
Appendix D: List of Speakers at the 52 Town Meetings

INTRODUCTION

The Americans with Disabilities Act Five Years After Passage: A Time for Reflection

On July 26, 1990, President George Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), declaring, let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down. Today, five years later, all the major provisions of the ADA have taken effect, and significant public and private sector efforts have increased public awareness of the Act and educated major entities covered by the Act. Five years after the enactment of this historic legislation, it is important to assess whether the goals of the ADA (equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency) have (or have not) begun to be realized by people with disabilities.

Although five years is certainly not enough time to expect complete attainment of these far-reaching goals, five years do provide a sufficient time frame to assess the degree to which efforts to implement the law have resulted in progress toward the long-term success. Without such a "reality check," it is possible that promising approaches currently is use could go unnoticed and loose support, or that misplaced efforts at implementation could lead the Nation away from the attainment of the goals of the Act.

In addition, as is the case with any law that seeks to define and advance civil rights, the ADA has been subject to various criticisms that have been reported in the popular media. Investigation reveals that the vast majority of these criticisms are based on misinformation or a focus on extreme situations. For example, it has been charged that compliance with the ADA will bankrupt American businesses. However, there has not been a single reported case where this has happened, nor could it happen, given the ADA's flexible provisions such as the reasonable accommodation and undue burden tests.

Others have charged that, particularly in the area of employment, the ADA would flood the country with lawsuits. And yet five years and nearly 45,000 complaints later, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency charged with enforcing the employment provisions of the Act, reports that the vast majority of these complaints have either been dismissed or resolved without going to court. In fact, in three years of enforcement activity, the EEOC has filed only 71 lawsuits under the ADA. In addition, EEOC reports that ADA-related cases make up only 20 percent of its caseload. Rather than encouraging lawsuits, the enforcement mechanisms contained in the ADA have resulted in a surprisingly low number of actual lawsuits, given the extent of the ADA's coverage (approximately 666,000 employers nationwide).

It must be asked, then, whether the sometimes vitriolic letters to the editor or the editorials that appear from time to time in the Nation's newspapers reflect reality, or the reason the ADA was passed in the first place: the prejudice and discrimination historically faced by people with disabilities. Clearly, it is important that these issues be explored and that judgments regarding the value of this law be based on reality, not casuistry.

This issue is important to policy makers across our Nation, and it is also important to people with disabilities around the globe. On the day he signed the ADA, President Bush observed:

This historic Act is the world's first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities. The first. Its passage has made the United States the international leader on this human rights issue.

Across the world, governments have expressed interest in adopting legislation similar to the ADA. Thus, it is even more important that an accurate, reality-based assessment of progress to date occur.

The National Council on Disability's Continuing Interest in the ADA

As the agency that first proposed the ADA, the National Council on Disability (NCD) has a major interest in learning whether its recommendation to Congress in 1986--

to enact a comprehensive law requiring equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities, with broad coverage and setting clear, consistent, and enforceable standards prohibiting discrimination on the basis of handicap (p.18)

--has resulted in positive change.

After enactment of the ADA, Congress charged the NCD with the responsibility to gather information regarding its implementation, effectiveness, and impact. To date, the NCD has been quite diligent in monitoring the Act and in sharing its findings. Given its responsibilities, the NCD has provided the President, Congress, and the American public with a variety of reports regarding implementation of the ADA:

• ADA Watch: Year One--A Report to the President and Congress on progress in implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (1993) detailed early progress in the implementation of the ADA. The purpose of this report was to provide an early assessment of whether the ADA was basically "on track" in the early stages of its implementation.
  
  
• Furthering the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act through disability policy research in the 1990s (1993) documented the results of a national forum of leaders in the field of disability policy research, including their guidance on how to determine the degree of progress being made in attaining the goals of the ADA as implementation proceeded.
  
  
• The Americans with Disabilities Act: Ensuring equal access to the American dream (1995) reported on the results of two meetings of experts in public policy at the State and national level regarding implementation of the ADA to date, lessons learned, and future strategies for increased compliance with the law.

In considering how best to approach the fifth anniversary of the ADA from the standpoint of monitoring implementation, the NCD determined that a comprehensive, consumer-based approach would provide the most direct and reliable check on the law's effectiveness to date. The NCD built this conclusion upon recommendations from its earlier conference on ADA research, as well as on the emerging reliance on "customer satisfaction" as a major measurement variable in determining the quality of public policy initiatives.

Numerous studies have been completed that detail progress in implementing the technical provisions of the Act. These studies have provided valuable information and recommendations regarding continuing implementation of the law. However, very little information exists on the law's overall impact on the quality of life experienced by citizens. Has the shameful wall of exclusion come tumbling down? If so, to what degree? Where are the largest openings? Even if the wall has come down, has there been a rush across the rubble to unite previously separated parties? Overall, has this law made any real difference in the quality of life experienced by people with disabilities? By the public at large?

The National Town Meeting Tour

To gain a clearer picture of progress regarding these important issues, the NCD determined that it would visit each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its intent was to hear directly from consumers and those involved in ADA implementation regarding the degree to which the law has affected their quality of life. Through this serious and substantial outreach effort, the NCD hoped to determine whether, and the degree to which, the ADA has changed the nature of American culture. Has a society in which people with disabilities historically were not provided equal opportunities, were excluded, and were kept in dependency become a society in which people with disabilities are provided with equal opportunities, are included, and are empowered, both socially and economically? In addition, the NCD attempted to gain an understanding of the nature of complaints lodged by critics of the ADA within the context of the actual life experiences of people with disabilities covered under the Act.

The report that follows provides a summary of the NCD's findings regarding these substantial questions. These findings are based on the results of town meetings held in each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands between February and June 1995. These town meetings attracted the active participation of thousands of interested citizens, the majority of whom were people with disabilities, or their family members or advocates. Through this consumer-based approach, we obtained information on some of the more substantial, outcome-oriented questions regarding ADA: Has the ADA actually resulted in greater access to the physical environment? Do people with disabilities experience a greater degree of fairness in obtaining and maintaining employment? Has the ADA helped to improve communication between people with disabilities and persons who are not disabled? Do people with disabilities find that it is easier to get around their towns and cities? Are people with disabilities really considered to be integral parts of the communities in which they live? In 1995, can people with disabilities finally have the same expectations as other people in their communities-to live, work, travel, communicate, contribute to, and generally feel comfortable in their local communities? Our results follow.

SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS

The ADA: Greater Access to the Physical Environment

Not too long ago, very few places were accessible to people with disabilities. But today it's different . . . people with disabilities can now get out into the world. (Don Holder, Florida)

In every State of the Union, consumers testified that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has created greater access to the physical environment over the past five years. Consumers spoke in great detail about the important changes that have occurred because of the ADA, citing increased access to virtually every type of environment. Some spoke of entire jurisdictions that had voluntarily embraced the ADA:

In Hall County, the public library, the court house, science center, school board building, and even the landfill are being made accessible. Without the ADA, none of the improvements to these facilities would be under way. (Stephanie Wells, Georgia)

We are installing ramps and curb cuts at 15 voting sites in Davidson County. Since budgets are tight, the Elections Commission has arranged with students at Vanderbilt University to do the construction during their spring break. Architects have donated their time to develop the plans. The cost to the county? Just the price of materials. We have installed TDD in the elections office and are trying to educate all elections officials and poll workers about disabilities. (Michael McDonald, Tennessee)

One New York town, Tuckahoe-population 6,000-won a first place award of $3,500 from the National Organization on Disability (NOD) for outstanding efforts to implement the ADA. Matthew Marino, a resident of Tuckahoe, reported that the town has established assisted listening devices in meeting rooms, courtrooms, and the community center. Audible traffic signals have been installed, and the town's newsletter is available on audio cassette. Town buildings have been made wheelchair accessible inside and out. Steps have even been removed in the courthouse for jurors and judges. But our most surprising success story involves a survey we send periodically to residents asking them to identify any disabilities they or a family member may have that emergency personnel should know about in the event of a problem. Residents' responses are entered into a computer, so that in the event of a 911 call, police have immediate access to the information. Other communities have followed our example, and both the local press and the New York Times have reported on our 911 program. Tuckahoe will spend its award money on a "talking" computer for the local library. (Matthew Marino, New York)

Other consumers spoke of how the ADA's accessibility provisions have enabled them to work:

As an attorney, I have to be able to get into the courthouse every day. Thanks to the ADA, the building is now equipped with a ramp and an automatic door. (Graham Sisson, Alabama)

I travel around the State for my job, but I couldn't do it if it weren't for the ADA. . . . Twenty years ago, none of these accommodations existed. (Dianne Grace, Washington)

In addition, many individuals reported that implementation of the ADA has enabled people with disabilities to pursue further educational opportunities, thereby increasing their employment and earning potential:

The University of North Texas has installed automatic doors, elevators, curb cuts, and other accommodations that make education much more accessible. (Johnny Martinez, Texas)

My son is now a college freshman at Eastern Kentucky University, because of curb cuts and more accessible buildings. The town of Richmond, Kentucky, in which EKU is located, has become more accessible as well. My son is no longer an outsider. He can participate in activities both on and off campus, thanks to the ADA. (Mary Anne Westerdale, Kentucky)

Implementation of the ADA has also resulted in people with disabilities gaining access to a wider variety of stores and commercial establishments. For example, several speakers at the Maine town meeting reported that shopping has become much easier via automatic door openers, wider aisles, and wider checkout lanes, as well as store personnel who were willing to use paper and pencil to communicate with deaf shoppers. Speakers at other town meetings reinforced this point. At the Virginia town meeting, several speakers stated that the Wal-Mart chain, with its policy of making all stores accessible, is an example for other businesses to follow:

I ride in my wheelchair to the local Wal-Mart and, once there, have no trouble getting in and doing my shopping. There is always an employee available when a person with a disability needs help in shopping at Wal-Mart. (Juanita Blake, Virginia)

In Wisconsin, we heard this story:

Before the ADA, I couldn't even shop with my daughter for her first prom dress. But things have changed, and I recently did shop with my daughter to buy clothes: for her job interview! (Shelley Peterman Schwarz, Wisconsin)

The accessibility provisions of the ADA were credited by other speakers with allowing families to enjoy their communities together, sometimes for the first time:

Before the ADA was passed, my family couldn't go any place together because of my Mom's wheelchair. But now many places are accessible, and we can go on outings as a family. I'm glad for the ADA. (Kristopher Hazard, Tennessee)

I see the progress the ADA has brought through my father's eyes. In the past, my family could not go out to eat without a family member first visiting the restaurant to make sure my father's wheelchair would make it through the door. Sometimes, he had to come in through the back entrance. It is much easier today. Thanks to the ADA, many more places are accessible. (Cathy Ames, Oklahoma)

Other speakers were pleased that the accessibility provisions of the ADA have opened a whole new world to them: travel. Whether traveling for business or on vacations, people with disabilities are finding it increasingly easier to locate accessible hotels:

The Inn on the Park is doing everything it can to make its services as accessible to guests with disabilities as to everyone else. The first time a group came to the hotel and needed equipment for the hearing impaired, the Inn rented the equipment from another hotel. Then we purchased our own equipment, with the input of some consumers with hearing impairments. Today the Inn on the Park is equipped with TDDs, bed shakers, close captioned TV, brailled menus, emergency evacuation procedures, and a range of wheelchair accessible rooms. Whenever we book a meeting for an organization, we acquire whatever adaptive equipment is needed, if we don't already have it. Front desk staff are trained in the use of adaptive equipment. . . . And our business has even increased a little as a result of working with disabilities groups. (Gary Tidmore, Wisconsin)

Finally, speakers at every meeting were pleased that sports and recreation facilities were becoming increasingly accessible, resulting not only in better fitness, but also in increasing opportunities to meet new friends in communities all across America:

Just three stairs and an inaccessible bathroom kept me from enjoying the local recreation center with kids my own age. But a few hundred dollars worth of renovations made the place accessible, and now I can play games and take a boat out when I want to. (Carl Burnett, Maine)

John wanted to participate in weight training, but he couldn't get to the field house because it was located down a steep gravel hill, inaccessible to wheelchairs. I couldn't get the school to make accommodations, until I had ADA behind me. (Linda Hawkins, Georgia)

The Discovery Zone is ramped, so my son can play there with his brother. . . . It didn't take much to make the bowling alley accessible, but if it weren't for ADA, the changes wouldn't have happened. (Laurie Brink, Maine)

And the future looks increasingly better for accessible sports and recreation opportunities:

Two accessible fishing and dock facilities are being built this summer on the Kenai Peninsula. And it is because of the ADA that they are being designed to be accessible. I also know a man who made his fishing boat accessible. There were so many people with disabilities who wanted to go out on his boat, that he realized making his vessel accessible meant more business. (Jim Beck, Alaska)

We have already received contributions totalling more than $110,000 for the Freedom Trail [an accessible playground]. The playground will not be specifically for children who are physically impaired, but will be a place where all children can have fun. (Kenny Violette, Oklahoma)

In this project,100 acres are being made into an accessible park. There will be piers and boat launches that can accommodate wheelchairs. Near the pond will be an accessible area for cleaning and cooking fish. There will be accessible cabins, chartered excursions, and a sensory botanical garden that people with visual impairments can enjoy. We are also planning an accessible trail from the park to Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, about one mile away. (Mary LeBlanc, Louisiana)

In summary, while the accessibility goals of the ADA have not yet produced universal access, speakers at town meetings all across the country reported that the implementation of the ADA has resulted in greater access to the physical environment:

Before the Americans with Disabilities Act became law, a walk downtown had to be strategically planned. What streets could I use without being hit by a car? If there were sidewalks, were there driveways? How much further out of the way would I have to walk just to get across the street? Needless to say, just a walk was an adventure. . . . Then after getting downtown, maybe the store wasn't accessible. I would just sit inside the entrance and the clerk or friends would bring me the items. . . . We still have a ways to go, but because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I can get into more and more public places. Things like designated parking spaces, accessible entrances, wider aisles, and accessible restrooms. . . . (Michelle Campbell, Kansas)

Before we had the ADA, it was difficult to convince the business community . . . to accommodate physically challenged people like myself who use wheelchairs. But ever since . . . people have begun to realize that consumers who are physically challenged are no longer isolated, but are integrated into society:

• Banks have installed electric doors, lowered counters and teller windows, and installed ramps;
  
  
• Restaurants have rearranged seating and made bathroom stalls big enough for wheelchairs;
  
  
• Supermarkets and other merchants have widened their aisles and checkout lines;
  
  
• Many malls have increased their designated parking spaces, added curb cuts, and provided accessible bathrooms;
  
  
• In the area of construction, they now have to consider that whenever they make renovations to existing buildings or new buildings they must make accommodation;
  
  
• Hotels have redone a couple of their units to accommodate travellers with wheelchairs; and,
  
  
• In road construction . . . they have been removing old curbs and replacing them with proper curb cuts. (Ronald Giovagnoli, New Hampshire)

The ADA: Increased Access to Employment Opportunities

Simply put, the Americans with Disabilities Act allowed me to return to the workforce this past June. After six years of receiving disability benefits, I was able to collect a paycheck. That feels a lot better than waiting on a direct deposit from the government. (Michael R. Todd, Kansas)

How has the ADA affected my life? I got out of bed this morning and went to work. It wouldn't have happened without the ADA. (Paul Gowens, Nevada)

One of the greatest hopes expressed at the time of the ADA's passage in 1990 was that the implementation of the Act would lead to a significant increase in employment for people with disabilities:

Dependency increases the costs of entitlements, lowers our gross national product, and reduces revenue to the Federal government. . . . People with disabilities want to work . . . to be productive, self-supporting and tax paying participants in society. The Americans with Disabilities Act grants us that dignity and that right. (Former Congressman Tony Coelho, 1990)

ADA will empower people to control their own lives. It will result in a cost savings to the Federal government. As we empower people to be independent, to control their own lives, to gain their own employment, their own income, their own housing, their own transportation, taxpayers will save substantial sums from the alternatives. (Former Congressman Steve Bartlett, 1990)

According to speakers at town meetings across the country, the ADA has begun to build a foundation for increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities by reducing discrimination in defining the essential elements of jobs, promoting fairness in the application process, and allowing for reasonable accommodations in the workplace.

First of all, the ADA has caused employers to re-think what constitutes the essential elements of a particular job.

Jerry Droll described an employer who wanted to hire a blind woman, because she tested better than other job applicants. But he was worried because she would be unable to count the money in the cash box. When the employer stopped to think that this activity took place only for an hour every two weeks, he decided to hire her. The employer realized that this small part of the job was not an essential function. She could perform all the essential functions, so he hired her. (Jerry Droll, Ohio)

Tad Childs, Director of IBM's Workforce Diversity Program, sent a letter to the town meeting in which he wrote that the ADA has brought the concept of "essential functions" to his company's attention: We wanted to be sure we complied with this landmark legislation. IBM has altered its policies on applicant inquiries and medical exams to comply with the law. IBM has developed a comprehensive ADA training program for all its managers, and all line managers are trained to deal with disabilities on a daily basis. We hire talented people with skills and potential who happen to have disabilities. Full and equal access is at the heart of the ADA. (Tad Childs, California)

Secondly, the ADA has added fairness to the job qualification and application process, reducing the amount of prejudicial prejudgment applicants with disabilities face simply because they have disabilities:

Before the ADA, I could go to a job interview and the employer could say, "We won't hire you because you're disabled," and I had no legal recourse. (Tim Harrington, Ohio)

Dallas-Fort Worth Airport has dropped arbitrary barriers to employment. The Airport reports that they are finding better applicants than before and would like to hire more people with disabilities. (Kimberly Bunting, Texas)

Thanks to the ADA and the Alabama Bar Association, I was able to take the bar exam in a large print version, and I was given extra time. (Beth Butler, a young attorney with a visual impairment, Alabama)

Third, the ADA has opened up the job market for people with disabilities through the allowance of reasonable accommodations. Some of these reasonable accommodations involve assistive devices:

I used to have to type with my nose. But I got a new type of keyboard, so now I don't have to. I wouldn't have been able to get this accommodation if it weren't for the ADA. (Mike Roselle, New York)

Mary Beth Metzger is a personnel administrator who happens to be blind. Graphical user interfaces enable her to use her computer. She credits the ADA with getting people's attention: There were disability rights laws in existence before the ADA, but it took the ADA to ensure that these laws are enforced. (Mary Beth Metzger, New York)

Ann Pal agrees. The ADA made my employer aware of assistive listening devices. My employer bought the device, as well as a TDD and a hearing aid-compatible telephone. Without this equipment, I wouldn't be doing my job as a physical therapist today. (Ann Pal, Alabama)

Some reasonable accommodations involve modifying the existing work space:

When I started working at Home Depot, I was asked what could be done to make the store accessible for me and for others as well. . . . At my request, the cash register was modified so I could operate it. (Jeff Miller, South Carolina)

I am treated like any other employee. Whenever I let my supervisor know about barriers at work, they are removed. Once, my supervisor saw that I could not reach the time clock because a cabinet was in the way. He yanked out the cabinet when he realized it blocked my reach. (Butch Towne, Massachusetts)

Other reasonable accommodations involve providing flexibility in work schedules:

Sheila Brown said that was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago, and that her employer has been accommodating. I can work a flexible schedule, and I am allowed to work from home when I need to. (Sheila Brown, Alabama)

Another person, whose condition requires her to rest, keep warm, and elevate her legs, has been accommodated at work fairly easily. Her employer gave her the warmest office, and she uses an ottoman to raise her legs. She also takes breaks when necessary. Once, when I couldn't come to work at all, but had a meeting to run, my boss allowed me to conduct it via a conference call. Even though I needed to rest at home that day, I could still do my job. (Fatica Ayers, Ohio)

Other reasonable accommodations involve help in the form of interpreters, personal assistants, or job coaches:

Drew Weldon had nothing but praise for her employer, Blue Cross-Blue Shield: They got me an interpreter for meetings and lectures, and I never even had to ask for a TTY. (Drew Weldon, Alabama)

Kit Phillips is proud that her daughter Tina is employed and lives on her own, in spite of the fact that she is mentally retarded and has a physical disability. Her group is working to assist young people with disabilities make the transition from school to work: We just got a grant to hire a job coach to work with young people. Once a young person is employed, the job coach will work with him or her and the employer until all three feel comfortable that the employee can do the job. An ongoing resource, the job coach will check in periodically with each employee in the program. (Kit Phillips, Oklahoma)

Another parent expressed satisfaction that her son was being supported in his job by both a good supervisor and a job coach. The employment provisions of the ADA have meant a great deal to her and her family. Her son, a young man with mental retardation, is employed 20 hours a week at a grocery store, bagging groceries and carrying them to cars for customers. My son is earning a minimum wage and working 20 hours a week. It's a lot better than staying home and not having the chance to develop any job skills! (Sandra Kutz, Nebraska)

Whatever the form of reasonable accommodation, managers are much more likely to support the employment of people with disabilities in their departments when the cost of these accommodations is part of a centralized company account.

Brian Smith, who is blind, is an Assistant Vice President for Personnel at NationsBank in Dallas. NationsBank is committed to making reasonable accommodations. In fact, the company has set up a separate cost center, so that managers are free to base their hiring decisions on skill, education, and experience, rather than on the cost of accommodation: The ADA opened doors for me to use my education and experience to get a good job and to do what I was trained to do. (Brian Smith, Texas)

Unemployment among people with disabilities is still at the level of 65-70 percent. This is clearly unacceptable, and the unemployment level has not changed appreciably during the five years the ADA has been in effect. Yet, consumers all across the country testified to the fact that the ADA was beginning to change the structural barriers that had previously made work impossible. In addition, other factors such as the discrimination faced by people with disabilities in accessing nongovernment-supported health care insurance and the continuing barriers to employment contained in Social Security regulations were cited as reasons for lack of substantial progress in changing the unemployment rate.

Can people with disabilities work in substantially greater numbers? The answer from consumers is affirmative. However, it is obvious that the ADA alone does not provide sufficient answers to this problem. In the ideal situation under the ADA, people with disabilities could be absolutely free from discrimination. Yet they would risk losing what few possessions they might have and all of their medical insurance (even when they have complex medical needs) in order to take a part-time, minimum-wage job. For too many Americans with disabilities, work does not pay.

In spite of these continuing barriers to employment, improvements such as more careful definition of the essential functions of jobs, increased fairness in the job application and qualification processes, and the allowance of a wide variety of reasonable accommodations in the workplace are allowing more Americans with disabilities to go to work, gain control of their lives, and exit government-supported programs:

Employers are seeing advantages to hiring people with disabilities. They are competent employees, enthusiastic and productive. My friends and I appreciate the ADA. Today I'm speaking on behalf of several friends who couldn't come because they're working. Blame the ADA for that! (Glen Barr, Tennessee)

The ADA: Easier Communication, Easier Mobility

In order to work and to be participating members of communities, people with disabilities need to be able to communicate with others and experience the same type and degree of mobility that non-disabled citizens experience as part of everyday life. Speakers at town meetings all across the country reported that since the passage of the ADA, communication and mobility have become easier.

In particular, the establishment of telephone relay systems across the country has significantly improved communication options for people with hearing or speech impairments:

The benefits that Title IV's requirement for relay services has brought are undisputed. Integration of deaf, hard of hearing, and speech impaired individuals through the telecommunication network brought these individuals increased freedom, independence, and privacy. (Michael Zeledon, Minnesota)

In Arkansas, Gwen Winston, who is profoundly deaf, was appreciative of the fact that . . . my little country church put in a loop. (Gwen Winston, Arkansas) Another woman at the Arkansas town meeting reported that she had never used a telephone in her life. She was excited about the relay system: Now I can talk on the phone all I want.

The Georgia Highway Patrol has also made its services more accessible by installing a TDD. They have not always had access through the relay, and they wanted to make sure deaf people could reach them in an emergency. (Sandy Marchman, Georgia)

Mark Calucci, who has a hearing impairment, described a pre-ADA experience: He was driving his car when a torrential rainstorm broke out. The road became flooded, and his car stalled. There was no place to move the car, so he walked to a nearby gas station. There was no hearing aid-compatible phone and no phone with a volume-raising switch, so I tried to explain my situation to the manager and get him to call my family or the police or a tow truck for me. The owner refused to help. His young assistant even snuck outside to make the call, and was promptly fired. Finally, Calucci called his brother, and just hoped that his brother was listening. Today none of that would have happened. With the ADA, I can use a public phone instead of being at the mercy of others in an emergency. (Mark Calucci, Connecticut)

Family members have also benefitted from the establishment of relay services:

Although not deaf himself, Mark Palmer has benefited from the advances the ADA has offered people with hearing impairments: I never got to be a child because I always had to interpret for my deaf parents. Palmer described the pressure he felt growing up having to hear and speak for his parents. In medical situations, with merchants, with the police, on the phone, even when he was sick, he was continually thrust into the adult role of having to take care of his parents' needs. Palmer recounted how difficult it was to make phone calls for his parents: People often wouldn't respond to me because they knew I was a kid. But today the situation is much improved. Palmer's parents use the relay service, and they watch captioned TV: I am no longer required to make sure my parents' needs are met because they can do it themselves!

In the area of mobility, speakers provided many examples of how the ADA has made mobility both possible and easier:

After years of staying home, I can finally get out of my house and travel. (Sally Scubin, Virginia)

The transportation part of the ADA is changing my life. I can visit my 88-year-old Dad, swim, and go to the library, all because of transportation called for in the ADA. (Christina Keefer, California)

Most people would not think that a blind person who uses a wheelchair could travel independently, hold a job, and be a taxpayer. But the transportation access requirements of the ADA allow me to make my 220-mile commute to Boston from my home in Northampton several times a month. (Denise Karuth, Massachusetts)

In 1992, paratransit was restricted to medical trips. I couldn't use it to get to job interviews. Now I can take it almost anywhere. I can take my three-year-old to a movie or a store. (Susan Stacy, Tennessee)

It is well documented that transportation is the main barrier for people with disabilities to work. But improvements in paratransit have given people with disabilities more access to employment and to other activities as well. (Kathleen Gregg, New Jersey)

Pablo Viera reports that transportation is the single greatest impact the ADA has had on his life. When he graduated from college in 1992, ready to go to work, he had no way to get there. His town of Vineland had no public transportation, and he could not afford to buy a car until he could get a job to pay for it: a Catch 22. But Viera applied for New Jersey Transport Access Link and was accepted: I no longer had the anxiety of wondering if my relatives, friends, or church members had the time to take me to the places I needed to go. I now have a better job, more conveniently located, and while I still use paratransit, I should be able to buy my own car in about a month. (Pablo Viera, New Jersey)

With increased opportunities in the areas of communication and mobility, people with disabilities will be able to gain access to new jobs, pursue expanded career opportunities, and interact with family members, friends, and other community members more frequently. They will reduce their dependence on government programs while making greater contributions to their communities and to the Nation as a whole.

The ADA: Modest Costs in Spite of Exaggerated Predictions

Because of the ADA, the city put lifts on buses, and I became an employed person again. I spend my money and pay taxes, thanks to an accessible transportation system that wouldn't have occurred without the ADA. ADA let me get out of social services and into a productive, meaningful life. (Jesse Tyler, Georgia)

Once they understand the ADA, their fears are alleviated. It's a pleasure to see their worry turn to relief when they realize that a ramp will cost them only $200, not $3000. (Mary Elizabeth Rider, Alaska)

When the ADA was signed into law in 1990, some claimed that compliance with the law would be very costly, possibly bankrupting businesses and municipalities. This has not occurred, nor could it have occurred, given language in the law itself that limits costs that represent an "undue hardship" to covered entities. Instead, in meeting after meeting, speakers described the reasonable costs that have been involved in implementing the Act as well as the many financial benefits that have resulted for people with disabilities, for businesses, and for the public as a whole as a result of the ADA.

The State government in Tennessee has hired many people with disabilities, and the cost of accommodation has been low. More than half of the accommodations cost nothing at all. For those accommodations that did cost money, the average cost was $206. (James Davis, Tennessee)

The Cerebral Palsy Foundation conducts an annual survey of employers. The Foundation has found that most reasonable accommodations cost less than $500. Employers are pleased to find that the things I need are very inexpensive! (Elizabeth Pazdral, California)

The main accommodation I needed at work was just a couple of wooden blocks to raise my computer desk so that my wheelchair could fit under it. The cost? Less than five dollars! (Kenneth Golden, Kansas)

The costs of ADA compliance reported by speakers all over the country were consistent with the evolving body of national research that demonstrates that the cost of compliance is usually quite modest and reasonable. For example, as we observed in an earlier report to the President and Congress:

The law itself requires that covered entities incur the costs of "reasonable accommodations" to make their facilities, programs, and services accessible to individuals with disabilities unless such accommodations pose an "undue hardship" on the entity. Given this two-part test, there is obviously room for discussion regarding both what is "reasonable" and what constitutes an "undue hardship." Thus, there is no concrete requirement that covered entities must absolutely make every accommodation requested by every individual with a disability. Furthermore, it has been found that reasonable accommodations often do not require a great deal of expense. For example, the Job Accommodation Network sponsored by the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities reports that based on its national data bank, using the average (mean) cumulative figures, for every dollar spent to make an accommodation, the company got $15.34. In addition, a recent study based on the experience of Sears, Roebuck, and Company in making reasonable accommodations reported that the average accommodation cost the company $121.00. The study also reported that 69% of accommodations cost nothing, 28% cost less than $1,000, and only 3% exceeded $1,000. These data are in general agreement with the overall data reported by the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. Thus, the idea that compliance with the ADA will cause great financial burdens to covered entities is not supported by either the provisions of the law itself or by practical experience to date in implementing the law.

Beyond the issue of cost, the ADA has tangible economic benefits. First of all, compliance benefits people with disabilities:

After six years of receiving disability benefits, I am now able to collect a paycheck. ADA has removed barriers to employment, and it feels good once again to be a contributing member of society. ADA is a wonderful piece of legislation that has allowed many of us to achieve independence. (Michael Todd, Kansas)

Second, compliance with the ADA can benefit businesses: Businesses may worry about the cost of making reasonable accommodations. But they also want to attract customers. If it costs $100 per square foot to make a place accessible to 85% of the public, why not spend $10-$12 more per square foot to reach 100% of the population? (Kirk Tchernershoff, Alabama)

People in wheelchairs are not the only ones who benefit from the changes. We are in a tourist area, and there a lot of elderly people as well as young people with strollers who take advantage of the ramp. I encourage other business owners to go above and beyond the ADA. This has increased my business. (Jock Lijoi, Tennessee)

Since the ADA, so many opportunities have opened up. Now we can go into any market together without my having to lift Angela over the curb. Even when Angela is not with me, I try to patronize accessible places. If I have a choice between a place that is not accessible and one that is, I'll chose the one that is. (Ian Miller, Tennessee)

Finally, compliance with the ADA benefits all Americans, by creating opportunities for people with disabilities to work, to become less dependent on tax-supported government programs, and to contribute to the tax base itself:

It's expensive to support a person with a disability on public funds or to keep someone in a nursing home, especially when that person could be out earning money. The ADA saves taxpayers' money. (Ian Miller, Tennessee)

The growth in the number of people with disabilities who have been employed due to a drop in barriers means a reduction in Social Security costs and a saving of taxpayers' money. (Kathleen Gregg, New Jersey)

Not only is this increase in transportation availability good for the transit users, but it saves the taxpayers money as well. Medicaid allots $19.00 in transportation costs for a medical trip, but a ride to a medical appointment on paratransit costs just $1.50, a significant savings. (Karen Vaughn, Indiana)

I have placed 54 people with disabilities in jobs. In addition to being productive citizens, these people have contributed more than $91,000 in taxes to their local, State, and Federal governments. (Kenton Dickerson, Tennessee)

ADA Compliance: Chiefly Voluntary, Not Lawsuit-Based

When the ADA became law in 1990, some predicted that it would lead to numerous lawsuits. Critics charged that terms such as reasonable accommodation, undue hardship, and readily achievable found in the law were too vague; they would give rise to multiple interpretations and, thus, numerous lawsuits. However, if one studies the history of the ADA, from its initial drafts through its overwhelming passage in both the House and the Senate after extended and serious dialogue and negotiations with the Bush Administration, one can see that the ADA actually represented a very balanced approach to redressing the historical discrimination and exclusion experienced by people with disabilities in America, a maturing of our national approach toward the protection and advancement of civil rights.

According to participants in town meetings all across the country, the result of this new approach to civil rights has been essentially voluntary compliance on the part of the majority of covered entities:

Although I was vice president of the local arts guild, I had to enter through the back door. I requested a ramp at the front door and got it. (Wynelle Carson, Tennessee)

A few years ago, the neighborhood 7-11 store did not have a ramp. I went to the manager and asked for one, and a week later it was there. When I went to a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, there was a ramp, but a tiny step at the doorway still kept me out. I explained the problem to the manager and it was soon fixed. (Gary Lyle, Virginia)

We wrote letters to a local grocery store requesting ramps and handicapped parking. The store honored our requests. I also asked for and got an elevator installed in City Hall after I told officials that being carried to the second floor for City Council meetings was unacceptable to me and that it presented a liability problem for the city. (Larry Breneman, Tennessee)

Carol Bowen told a store owner that she could not shop at his store because the aisles were inaccessible. He measured the width of my chair and then he re-did the store. Now it is completely accessible. (Carol Bowen, Virginia)

Even in situations in which people with disabilities have met with initial refusals to accommodate to their needs, they have not automatically proceeded to file lawsuits:

We repeatedly asked a steak house to make accessibility improvements, but we were ignored. So we set up our own table outside the restaurant and sent someone in to order our food. Of course, this attracted a crowd, and the restaurant soon made the changes. (Wynelle Carson, Tennessee)

In meeting after meeting across the country, Council members asked participants to raise their hands if they had worked to negotiate with others regarding ADA compliance. Hundreds did so. When the same people were then asked if they had filed a lawsuit based on the ADA, very few raised their hands. In short, the high degree of voluntary compliance with the provisions of the ADA is a credit to those who framed the Act, citizens with disabilities who have demonstrated creativity and endurance in pursuit of their civil rights, and all of those covered entities that have chosen to comply with the Act voluntarily.

The ADA: Strengthening the Roles and Self-Images of Americans with Disabilities

The ADA has done a lot for my mental attitude about approaching employers. I know you can't legislate confidence, but in a way, ADA has done that for me. (Jerry Vogt, Wisconsin)

Across the Nation, people with disabilities testified as to the major positive changes that the ADA had made in their abilities to serve in ordinary and valued social roles, as well as their own self-images:

My kids are free to be kids. And by increasing accessibility, the ADA has allowed me to be the Mom I want to be. (Sharon Hazard, Tennessee)

With the ADA, I finally have a role independent of my husband. I can get into buildings, go grocery shopping, all on my own now. (Evelyn Williams, Mississippi)

Before the ADA, I had to ask my daughter to make phone calls for me and interpret for me. Now she can play. I don't have to interrupt her any more. We both like it better this way! (Sherry Rademacher, Tennessee)

As a person with a disability, I find the best part of ADA is gaining access to somewhere I've never been before. (Jeff Simon, Kansas)

I was the first hearing impaired juror in Arkansas. In the past, people with hearing impairments were kept off juries because [it was believed that] an interpreter might distract other jurors. (Ann Garner, Arkansas)

Our 10 days [in Hawaii] were great. The tour buses and trolleys all had lifts, and it felt good to be able to travel just like anyone else. (Paul Wysocki, Washington)

I was a prisoner in my own home, so I advocated for paratransit. Then came the news that paratransit would begin. I was so excited! And I felt so proud zipping around stores in my wheelchair, making my purchases. (Lauren Esposito, Connecticut)

A weight was lifted from my shoulders when the ADA passed. The ADA has given me the confidence that, if I work hard and succeed in school, I can expect to find a good job. (Ken Adell, Wisconsin)

Strengthened roles and more positive self-images will empower people with disabilities to achieve greater levels of independence, to participate in their communities, and to become positive examples to all citizens of the potential for achievement that rests within all people with disabilities. Through this interactive process, prejudice and discrimination will be lessened and more opportunities opened.

The ADA: Creating Positive Changes in American Culture

Overall, society is more accommodating to people with physical and visual impairments than before the ADA. (Rick Treano, New Jersey)

One of America's strongest cultural values is the acceptance and celebration of diversity. We are a Nation of immigrants, a "melting pot" of various cultures, creeds, and backgrounds. In America, it is thought that it is "normal" to be different. Yet, like many cultural ideals, we often fall short of our cultural goal of accepting and celebrating diversity. However, legislation such as the ADA assists us in coming closer to this goal.

Speakers all across the Nation told stories of how the ADA is creating positive changes in American culture, changes that will move us closer to our cultural ideals. First of all, it is increasingly clear that the beneficiaries of the ADA are not just people with disabilities; the ADA benefits all Americans:

Clearly, ramps and curb cuts are better, not only for people with disabilities, but for many of the non-disabled as well: parents pushing strollers, bicyclists, people with injuries, and elderly people. (Rick Tessandore, Alaska)

I suffered a wrist injury, and while wearing a cast, I found lever-type door handles installed in businesses and public facilities a life saver. I applaud ADA for improving the lives of all Americans. (Allison Walters, Kansas)

The ADA is not just for people with disabilities now, but it affects us in the future too. The ADA will keep us from being restricted as we get older. I want the ADA to be there for me down the road if I need it. (Michelle Rico, Nevada)

Changes brought about by the ADA have made many people in our culture realize that being non-disabled may only be a temporary condition. Like Michelle Rico above, many people now expect that at some point in their lives, they might experience disability. However, with the physical changes and-in particular-the growing attitudinal changes that have been brought about as a result of people with disabilities being visible and expected members of everyday life, the fear and drama that once characterized the approaches many people took to disability are fading away:

The ADA helps able-bodied people as well. It helps me in two ways. First of all, I could become disabled at any time and would really need the law. And second, thanks to the ADA, I've gotten to know some fine people I wouldn't have met if curb cuts, wheelchair lifts, and other improvements hadn't been made that allow people with disabilities to get out in the world. (Liz Patrick, Georgia)

The city [of Boulder] has really taken accessibility to heart. I can pile my three kids onto my wheelchair and we go exploring all over the city. (Bruce Gougen, Colorado)

I was eating in a Walgreen's restaurant, and the little girl in the next booth kept turning around and staring at me. Then she walked by me to the bathroom, staring all the while. On her way back, she stopped and asked me what was wrong with me. I explained that I fell down and broke my back, so I can't walk. Then I heard the girl tell her mother, "See, Mom, I told you there's nothing wrong with him!" (John Roberts, Colorado)

This child's perspective may indicate that the increasing visibility of people with disabilities as part of everyday life is leading to a cultural expectation that disability is a natural and expected part of life.

Dawn Caldwell's son has cerebral palsy. But unlike generations of parents of children with disabilities before her, Dawn can expect and look forward to his valued participation in preschool next year, just like any other parent:

It's great to see how attitudes have changed. All the preschools we looked at were accepting and eager to have Alex. They have ramps and accessible bathrooms. Thanks in part to the ADA, I can take my son anywhere and he will feel included. (Dawn Caldwell, Ohio)

The values embodied in the Americans with Disabilities Act-equal protection under the law, individual empowerment, freedom of association, economic opportunity, etc.-are important to and for all Americans. Our national culture of participatory democracy is enriched every time a previously excluded group is empowered to become part of our expected cultural fabric. The ADA is leading us in the direction of this positive change on a daily basis.

Conclusion: Equality of Opportunity, Full Participation, Independent Living, Economic Self-Sufficiency-A Formula for Success in American Public Policy

The ADA has removed barriers to public transportation, employment, public services, and telecommunications-barriers that have cost us economically and socially. (Dale Kennedy, Arkansas)

The Americans with Disabilities Act remains a major example of success in progressive public policy. Although clear in its insistence that the civil rights of people with disabilities be established, protected, and enforced, it is also clearly an example of maturation in our national approach to creating positive social change, benefitting all Americans, both today and in the future:

The ADA is fantastic. I can go out and participate. The ADA makes me feel like I'm one of the gang. (Sandra Brent, Arkansas)

Even though we had the Rehab Act of 1973, it took the ADA to make real change. The ADA has given me hope, independence, and dignity. (Yadi Mark, Louisiana)

Because of the ADA, I have more of the opportunities that other people have. Now I feel like a participant in life, not a spectator. (Brenda Henry, Kansas)

A successful person with a disability was once thought of as unusual. Now successful people with disabilities are the rule. It's the ADA that has opened the door. (Donna Smith-Whitty, Mississippi)

In summary, our overall finding is that when we examine the negative rhetoric and reports that have characterized certain media outlets over the past five years, and compare them with the actual research data and the experiences of people with disabilities, of their family members, of businesses, and of public servants, we discover that this relatively new law has begun to move us rapidly toward a society in which all Americans can live, attend school, obtain employment, be a part of a family, and be a part of a community in spite of the presence of a disability. What is needed now is a renewed commitment to the goals of the Act (which were crafted under unprecedented bipartisan efforts), sufficient resources to support further education and training concerning the ADA, and effective enforcement.

The above is but a brief summary of what thousands of consumers told us about the positive impact the ADA has had on their lives over the past five years. In the pages that follow, we summarize stories and comments heard in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Although implementation of the ADA has not occurred evenly, citizens across the Nation report that the ADA is beginning to make a real difference. From Maine to California, from Texas to Alaska, the ADA is improving the lives of all Americans. 0. Please refer to Appendix A for a brief summary of the Act. 0. P.L.101-336, 2(a)(1-9). 0. Another indicator of the degree of voluntary compliance with the Act is found in the fact that since the passage of the ADA, requests for information on methods of providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities have increased by 700% at the Job Accommodation Network operated by the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. 0. National Council on the Handicapped. (1986). Toward independence: An assessment of federal laws and programs affecting citizens with disabilities-With legislative recommendations. Washington, DC: Author; Note: The National Council on the Handicapped has since been renamed the National Council on Disability. 0. P.L.102-569 401(a)(7). Please refer to Appendix B for a brief description of the National Council on Disability. 0. See Gore, A. (1993). From red tape to results: Creating a government that works better and costs less. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 0. See, for example, National Council on Disability. (1993). ADA watch-Year one: A report to the President and the Congress on progress in implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act. Washington, DC: Author; General Accounting Office. (1994). Americans with Disabilities Act: Effects of the law on access to goods and services. Washington, DC: Author; and West, J. (1994). Federal implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 1991-94. New York: Milbank Memorial Fund. 0. Please refer to Appendix C for a list of dates and locations of meetings. 0. National Council on Disability. (1995). The Americans with Disabilities Act: Creating equal access to the American dream. Washington, DC: Author. 0. Job Accommodation Network. (1994). Accommodation benefit/cost data. Morgantown, WV: Author (p. 4). 0. Blanck, P. (1994). Communicating the Americans with Disabilities Act - Transcending compliance: A case report on Sears, Roebuck, and Co. Washington, DC: Annenberg Washington Program.

SUMMARIES OF TOWN MEETINGS

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY
50 STATE ADA TOWN MEETING TOUR

ALABAMA SUMMARY REPORT
FEBRUARY 14, 1995

Host organization: Birmingham Independent Living Center
NCD Member: Mary Raether

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Alabama?

The ADA is making a difference to residents of Alabama. And one of the Act's major impacts is in the area of employment. An unidentified speaker talked with pride about her brother who has mental and developmental disabilities. "In the past, he couldn't keep a job," the speaker said, "but since the ADA passed, a grocery store hired him." The store manager is aware of her brother's needs and accommodates him, she says. "And he now provides for himself and his family," the speaker said.

Another woman, Beulah Brown, told those present that she was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago, and that her employer has been accommodating. "I can work a flexible schedule, and I am allowed to work from home when I need to," she said.

Drew Weldon described actions taken by his employer, Blue Cross-Blue Shield. "They got me an interpreter for meetings and lectures, and I never even had to ask for a TTY," said Weldon. He said his employer was well-aware of the ADA before she began working there.

Ann Pal is hard of hearing. "The ADA made my employer aware of assistive listening devices," said Pal, a physical therapist. Her employer bought the device, as well as a TTY and a hearing aid-compatible telephone. "Without this equipment, I wouldn't be doing my job today," she said. Another technology Pal likes is close captioned TV. "Now I can understand what my children are watching," she laughed.

Kay Phillips also reported that her employment experience has been favorably affected by the ADA. Several years ago when she returned to work after a severe depressive episode, her employer ignored her doctor's recommendation that changes be made in her work environment. She was told by her employer that if she did not resume her job without modifications, she would be viewed as refusing to work. Recently another depressive episode caused her to miss work. "But this time it was different," she said. "My boss called me at home and explained the ADA to me. They wanted me to come back, and they helped make the changes I needed to work."

Workers with epilepsy have also benefited from the ADA, according to Chantelle Sonnier of the Epilepsy Foundation. "People once thought those with epilepsy can't work," she said. "The ADA has helped make people aware that frequent breaks and modifications in office lighting can help those with epilepsy to perform well in the workplace." And, thanks to the ADA, explained Sonnier, the interview process cannot include questions about seizures.

The ADA has also reduced the barriers that can keep people with disabilities out of certain professions. "Thanks to the ADA and the Alabama Bar Association," said Beth Butler, a young attorney with a visual impairment, "I was able to take the bar exam in a large print version, and I was given extra time." Butler reported that 18 others with disabilities took the bar exam with her, and all were accommodated.

The business community has responded supportively to the ADA, according to some speakers. "Five years ago we couldn't have begged businesses to offer training in disability awareness, but today they're clamoring for it," said Peggy Anderson, ADA Coordinator for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services. "People in business and industry want to implement the ADA, and they want help in recruiting qualified workers." Anderson's agency works with more than 2,500 businesses annually who want to hire or have already hired people with disabilities. "The partnership between business and Rehabilitation Services is really growing," Anderson said.

Access to public accommodations has been one of the most important gains of the ADA, several people said. Graham Sisson is an attorney who needs access to the court house in Birmingham. "Thanks to the ADA," he said, "the building is now equipped with a ramp and an automatic door." Sisson, a wheelchair user and the former Alabama ADA Coordinator, also credits the ADA with making restaurants and places of entertainment more accessible. "Restaurant tables are high enough for wheelchairs to go under and are usually spaced correctly," he says, "and movie theaters have removed some seats to make room for wheelchairs."

The University of Alabama at Birmingham accommodated Cheryl Bullock's love of swimming. "When I repeatedly asked for a wheelchair lift at the campus pool," she said, "I was given every excuse in the book." Finally her request made it to the highest levels of the campus administration where a vice-president's reaction was, "If there's no money for a lift, we'll just have to do without the landscaping." Bullock (and other wheelchair users) got the lift.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Many people with disabilities make daily use of the ADA.
• People with disabilities feel empowered, and their self-esteem has improved.
• Attitudes among the public have changed a great deal--for the better.

ALASKA SUMMARY REPORT
APRIL 25, 1995

Host organization: Alaska ADA Partners Project
NCD Staff: Billie Jean Hill

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Alaska?

Alaskans gathered at their ADA Town Meeting to tell NCD about the positive changes the ADA has made in their lives. Travel and recreation were the leading categories of beneficial change people addressed, followed by improvements in public accommodations and increased employment opportunities. Getting from airports to hotels before the ADA was an expensive chore for Duane French. "If I wanted to go to a hotel, I had to make special arrangements in advance to find a shuttle bus or van that was equipped with a wheelchair lift," said French. "It cost me $50-$75 just to get to a hotel." But today it is different. "Now most hotels that provide transportation from the airport have a lift-equipped van," French explained.

A state known for its outdoor recreational opportunities, Alaska is also the site of expanded outdoor activities for people with disabilities. Natasha Smith, an Anchorage high school student who uses a wheelchair, described a fishing trip she took last summer on Alaska's Russian River. In Smith's group were several wheelchair users, as well as an individual with a hearing impairment. "We really had fun," Smith recalled. Her group took a ferry across the river, and then fished at the water's edge. "And I was the first person to catch a fish!" she said.

"Two accessible fishing and dock facilities are being built this summer on the Kenai Peninsula," related Jim Beck of Alaska ADA Partners Project. "And it is because of the ADA that they are being designed to be accessible," he said. Beck also told those present that he knows a man who made his fishing boat accessible. "There were so many people with disabilities who wanted to go out on his boat," said Beck, "that he realized making his vessel accessible meant more business."

The Alaska travel industry is also realizing that accessibility can increase tourism, according to Rebecca Campbell of Access Alaska. She reported that the rail division of a major tour company has just added four new wheelchair lifts to its trains for this year's tourist season.

Businesses of all sorts throughout the state are discovering that accessibility is good for business, explained Patrick Reinhart of the state Independent Living Council. "A lot of businesses have benefited from making their facilities accessible, and that's an impetus for other businesses to make changes as well," he said.

And while many in business are fearful that they will be liable for something they did not even know about 20-30 years ago, "once they understand the ADA, their fears are alleviated," stated Mary Elizabeth Rider, a planner for the Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education. "It's a pleasure to see their worry turn to relief when they realize that a ramp will cost them only $200, not $3,000," Rider said.

Indeed, public accommodations of all kinds are being made accessible, said several individuals. The climate of awareness that the ADA has helped to create played a role in the outcome in a lawsuit regarding accessibility of the Alaska Performing Arts Center, explained Earl Fullingim, Executive Director of Barrier Free Alaska. The subject of controversy for more than a decade, the Center offered very little auditorium seating for people in wheelchairs, and that limited seating was all in the back. The judge, said Fullingim, ruled that the Center had to increase the quantity of accessible seating. And furthermore, the accessible seating had to be interspersed throughout the auditorium, not relegated to the back. "The judge wouldn't have made such a ruling if it hadn't been for the ADA," said Fullingim.

Some business owners are eager to do what they can to accommodate customers with disabilities, several said. John Woodward described his conversations with individual store owners in an Anchorage mall. "All of them agreed that the mall should have an accessible entrance," stated Woodward. "They said that people with disabilities bring a lot of money into the stores." Besides, "non-disabled people often prefer using ramps to stairs anyway," pointed out Rick Tassandore of the Disability Law Center. Clearly, ramps and curb cuts are better, not only for people with disabilities but for many of the non-disabled as well--parents pushing strollers, bicyclists, people with injuries, and elderly people.

In addition to travel and recreation and public accommodations, the ADA has also made a difference in employment for people with disabilities, several said. "Ten years ago I had to lie about my hearing impairment on job applications," said Virginia Cumming of the Alaska Alliance for the Mentally Ill. "Now I don't have to lie, and I can even get reasonable accommodations."

One woman who missed a month of work as a result of a severe anxiety attack, would not have been taken back by her employer if it were not for the ADA, stated Janel Wright of the Disability Law Center of Alaska. "When we explained the ADA and reasonable accommodation to the employer," said Wright, "they realized they had a responsibility under the ADA." And Gretchen Collier, a social service worker, summed up simply what many people with disabilities have said, "without the ADA I wouldn't have a job."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Service dogs are now allowed in taxis.
• The relay service has opened up a whole new world of communication to deaf people.
• Outdoor recreational opportunities are expanding for people with disabilities.
• Many businesses are seeing that compliance with the ADA means access to customers formerly shut out of their establishments.
• Explaining the ADA--its purpose, the minimal nature of most accommodations, and the availability of tax credits for alterations--can usually bring about compliance faster and less expensively than taking legal action.

ARIZONA SUMMARY REPORT
MAY 6, 1995

Host organization: Arizona Office for Americans with Disabilities
NCD Member: Larry Brown

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Arizona?

Arizonans gathered to let NCD know that the ADA has made a difference in the lives of many people in their state. In employment, travel, public accommodations, and government services, the ADA has had a positive impact. And especially important, according to many, are the growth in empowerment and self-esteem among people with disabilities themselves.

Susan Webb, Executive Director of Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL), described a new employment program her organization has launched. "ABIL is partnering with temporary agencies and employers to place people with disabilities in temporary jobs," she explained. More than 100 individuals have been placed, many of whom have not worked for 25 years. "Employers are more aware that people with disabilities are a really good resource," Webb said, "but I don't believe it would have happened without Title I of the ADA." Webb further explained that her clients are working side by side with non-disabled peers in an integrated, competitive work environment and earning the same wages for the same jobs.

The employment application process has become easier for some people with disabilities, thanks to the ADA. Denise Thompson commented, in written testimony that "it has been great to have extra time if needed to fill out applications and/or receive the appropriate assistance." Thompson related one instance in which a potential employer brailled a required test for her. "This type of accommodation would not have happened without the ADA," she wrote.

The ADA is also helping people with disabilities who are already employed to know that they may be eligible for certain accommodations to facilitate their work. Michele Martinez, in charge of implementing the ADA for the city of Phoenix, explained that in the workplace ADA trainings she has done, "numerous employees come up and tell me they have a disability, and that they had no idea that accommodations are available to them under the ADA." They just did without, but now they know what is possible, she explained.

Traveling is much easier for people with disabilities than it was a few years ago. Todd Kimball, who hosts a weekly radio program about disabilities broadcast in several Arizona cities, commented that major strides have been made in long distance travel. "Five years ago people with disabilities couldn't travel across the country," he said. "We were afraid to travel to other cities because we didn't know what we'd find accessible once we got there." But today it is different, Kimball believes. He says that one can usually count on accessible rooms at major hotel chains. "And you can be pretty sure you'll find accessible bus service in other cities too," he said.

Local transportation has improved as well, but much work remains to be done, several said. Some commented that public transportation is sorely lacking in Arizona for non-disbled and disabled people alike, although the ADA has brought improvements. Almost everything was inaccessible, and "people just assumed that was the way it was" explained Donna Redford. Redford added that she has seen bus drivers learn to help people with disabilities board the bus safely, while still keeping to their schedule.

Work and transportation are essential parts of life. But leisure activities must not be overlooked in their contribution to a total human life. In Arizona the ADA has helped open sports and recreation to people with disabilities. Guerry Dalrymple is the Secretary/Treasurer of the Coalition for the Promotion of Accessible Outdoor Recreation, and he finds outdoor recreational activities much more accessible than they were before the ADA. "When we do camping trips now, we're not limited to where we can go," he said. "A lot of campgrounds--public and private--have accessible picnic tables and accessible tent pads and fire rings. And some even have accessible showers and restrooms," he said. Dalrymple can appreciate this access because he remembers making reservations before the ADA and being asked who would be coming along to take care of the "handicapped" people.

Dalrymple's favorite outdoor sport is hunting. "Now when I call a hunting guide service, there's no long pause when I say I have a disability," explains Dalrymple. "Now I hear 'no problem--just tell me what you need.'" Dalrymple also explained that when he goes into a sporting goods store these days he doesn't have to explain that yes he does actually shoot a bow and arrow, rifle, etc. And Dalrymple attributes these changes to the ADA. "The ADA is what we have to thank in the area of recreation," he said. "And it's not because everyone is afraid of being sued. The reason ADA has been successful is that people like me have been empowered by the ADA, and we realize we can go out and do things." Dalrymple believes that attitudes of campground managers, sport store owners, and others have changed because people with disabilities have become a visible presence in a number of outdoor sports.

Other forms of recreation are also becoming more accessible as a result of the ADA. "Theaters are getting better," remarked an unidentified speaker, "and it's because the owners are being educated by people with disabilities who know they have a right to go to the theater and sit with their friends." The speaker related an incident about a woman who got locked into a mall because the movie she was watching ended late, and the only accessible exit from the mall had been locked. A regular door was still unlocked, but she could not access it. The situation was brought to the attention of the mall manager, with the result that when a regular mall door is unlocked, an accessible door is also left unlocked.

While many barriers have been removed in the private sector, local and state governments are also getting rid of barriers. The city of Phoenix gets positive reviews from Donna Redford for its quick action in making curb cuts whenever they hear from a consumer that a cut is needed at a particular site. "Some Arizona communities," she added, "are using their block grant funds to do things like get their parks, restrooms, accessways, and sidewalks accessible, and to make sure they put in curb cuts throughout the city," she explained.

Positive changes are also taking place at the state level. Susan Webb told the Town Meeting about how the state's discriminatory policy toward drivers with disabilities was altered. "Until recently," Webb began, "a person with a disability who wanted to get a driver's license renewed could be required to take a road test and might even be required to get a doctor's written statement that he or she was qualified to drive." Webb and others with disabilities persuaded their state government that having a disability is different from taking medications. The policy of requiring more of some renewing drivers than others was dropped. "It was the ADA that gave us the tool to represent ourselves in a positive, informed, professional, forthright and successful way," stated Webb. "The ADA works."

One important reason Webb and her group were able to use the ADA so effectively is that it has reshaped the way many people with disabilities feel about themselves. Donna Redford has noticed a change in the calls she gets at the independent living center where she works. "Callers used to tell us to do something about a particular inaccessible site," she said. "Now they call and ask for advice as to what they should do to advocate for themselves!"

While the ADA is reaching many with its hopeful message, and the tangible evidence of the law's success is growing, more work remains to be done to make sure minorities know about and have the opportunity to make use of the Act. Michele Martinez told NCD that people of color in her area have heard about the ADA, but that many don't know it applies to them. Many Hispanic Americans, she continued, are distrustful of government and consequently are unlikely to seek help in making use of the ADA.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• The ADA has given people with disabilities hope to continue in their job search or to challenge terminations that are based on disability prejudice.
• Employers are more receptive to hiring people with disabilities and are more sensitive to employees with disabilities.
• People with disabilities are seeing themselves differently--with greater self-esteem and self-confidence.
• While public transportation in Arizona is very limited for everyone, there have been improvements in paratransit.

ARKANSAS STATE SUMMARY
FEBRUARY 21, 1995

Host organizations: Arkansas Department of Health/Office of Prevention, Arkansas ADA Roundtable
NCD Member: Mary Raether

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Arkansas?

Those who testified in Little Rock expressed great enthusiasm for the ADA. "The ADA has removed barriers to public transportation, employment, public services, and telecommuni- cations--barriers that have cost us economically and socially," stated Dale Kennedy, who has multiple sclerosis and serves on the board of the Arkansas chapter of the National MS Society.

Improvements in transportation drew praise from a number of speakers. "We had paratransit before the ADA," explained Bonnie Johnson of the Arkansas Disability Coalition, "but it was on a charitable basis, which meant transportation was available only when there was money to fund it." Johnson likes the transportation guidelines established by the ADA, and her group works with Central Arkansas Transit in Little Rock to make sure the system meets the needs of people with disabilities. Now people can use paratransit without first having to declare where they are going, Johnson explained. Before ADA, when service was so limited, people with disabilities were served on a priority basis. In other words, those going shopping or to visit friends could be bumped in favor of someone else making a doctor visit. Since the ADA, Johnson went on, any community that provides public transportation must equally serve people with disabilities who live within the service area. "We do quarterly customer surveys," said Johnson, "and we hear lots of stories about how people are helped by paratransit.

One of the chief benefits of increased access to transportation is that people with disabilities can get to work. And access to employment has clearly increased since the ADA went into effect. "The ADA is important to me," said Anthony Manyard, who works with the Arkansas Disabilities Coalition, "because it has helped me pursue my career goals." Manyard has a visual impairment and fallen arches.

Reasonable accommodations on the job are also much more readily available than they were before the ADA. One unidentified speaker reported that in the building where he works there was just one accessible bathroom. It was on the first floor, although he worked on the fourth floor." But there was someone else in the building for whom even the first floor bathroom wasn't accessible." He complained, and "then all the bathrooms on all four floors were remodeled for accessibility," the man stated.

Another area where the ADA has made a difference is in people's attitudes. Several commented that public perceptions of people with disabilities have changed greatly for the better. Partly because of this increased awareness, "there are more sports opportunities available to people with disabilities now," said John Gould, who works with the Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission. An athlete, Gould suffered a spinal cord injury less than a year ago and now uses a wheelchair. And he plays several sports competitively. "The expanded access to sporting activities for people with disabilities has helped me to deal with my injury," he said. "Because of the ADA, I can lead an independent life."

Not everyone's attitudes have changed, and it is just those whose attitudes have not changed who have brought about a surprising benefit for Mike Morrissey. A writer who uses a wheelchair, Morrissey comments that "the ADA has provided me with literary fodder." He finds it funny that people are amazed when they see him--a wheelchair user--enjoying himself in a restaurant like anyone else or getting into a cab. "I think it's amusing, so I write about people's reactions," he says.

Morrissey also credits the ADA with providing him with legal backing to ask for the modifications he needs to function in society. "The ADA gives me the confidence to know that if I'm not getting my civil rights, I have somewhere to go." Morrissey added that he has become more assertive since the ADA went into effect.

Several people with hearing impairments told about the impact the ADA has had on their lives. "I was the first hearing impaired juror in Arkansas," said Ann Garner with pride. In the past, she explained, people with hearing impairments were kept off juries because "an interpreter might distract other jurors." "Before the ADA I often advocated," she said, "but I often got nowhere. With the ADA behind me though, I am much more successful."

Gwen Winston, who is hearing impaired, in addition to having multiple sclerosis, appreciatively explained that hospital stays have been made much easier. "My patient chart says clearly that I am hearing impaired, so my room is always set up with an amplified phone and captioned TV," she said.

An unidentified woman, who had never used the telephone in her life, is excited about the relay service. "Now I can talk on the phone all I want. I can gossip all night with my daughters if I want to," she said. This woman also credits the ADA with helping her to change her life of dependency into one of independence. Since the ADA has been enacted, she told those present, she went back to school, made straight As, and got her degree in deaf education. She plans to go on to graduate school.

Sandra Brent, who walks with braces on both legs, summed up the ADA this way: "The ADA is fantastic. I can go out and participate. The ADA makes me feel like I'm one of the gang."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Many people with disabilities no longer feel like second class citizens.
• Many people with disabilities feel empowered and are better able to ask for needed accommodations than they were before the ADA.
• Improvements in transportation have been steady and impressive. As a result, many more people are able to get around independently.
• Attitudes of non-disabled people toward people with disabilities has improved.

CALIFORNIA SUMMARY REPORT
MARCH 1, 1995

Host organizations: Westside Center for Independent Living and the Governor's Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons
NCD Member: Mary Raether

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in California?

Californians spoke with enthusiasm about the ADA. The transportation provisions were the most frequently cited benefit of the law, but people also addressed expanded employment opportunities and the opening up of the world for people with hearing impairments.

Improved public transportation has greatly increased access to a wide variety of activities. "The main way the ADA helps me is in transportation," said Sylvia Pryzwiecki, who uses a wheelchair. "With improved transportation I am able to get out further into the county, to be with my peers, and attend events like this hearing."

"The transportation part of the ADA is changing my life," reports Christina Keefer of Los Angeles. "I can visit my 88 year old dad, swim, and go to the library, all because of transportation called for in the ADA," she said. Keefer also acknowledges that she would not have been able to accept her position as President of the Westside Center for Independent Living if it were not for accessible transportation. The changes in transportation that are allowing more people to get out of their homes and into the world are also contributing to the growing public awareness of people with disabilities, Keefer believes.

Armentres Ramsay agrees that the transportation provisions of the ADA are vital. "I'd be lost for a way to get to meetings if the ADA hadn't passed," he said. Ramsay, a wheelchair user, also takes paratransit to shopping and doctors' appointments.

"Because of paratransit I can give back to society by participating in city council meetings," stated Pro Se, who uses a wheelchair. "Paratransit is a blessing," he said, "and I greatly appreciate it."

In written testimony, James Ramsey stated that the ADA has helped him live a happier, fuller life, partly because of better transportation. "Bus lifts are a great help to me," wrote Ramsey. "I can get around better and do more. I am 63 years old, still active and participating and living a more normal life than I could without the ADA," he wrote.

David Wolf, who serves on a transportation advisory committee in Los Angeles, told those present that the County Board of Supervisors had said that the comprehensive transit/paratransit system being developed would be completed this summer--18 months ahead of schedule. "The ADA gets people to look at populations not adequately served," said Wolf, who is blind.

For most people with disabilities, finding appropriate employment is much more difficult than it is for others. Thanks to the ADA, many Californians said, their opportunity to obtain work for which they qualify has increased. Elizabeth Pazdral, who has cerebral palsy, has been employed for many years. "But it has been much easier since the ADA," she says. As a legal secretary, she needs access to files, and employers have accommodated her by setting up horizontal, rather than vertical, filing cabinets. "Employers are pleased to find that the things I need are very inexpensive," says Pazdral. Pazdral also cited an annual survey of employers conducted by the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. "The Foundation," she said, "has found that most reasonable accommodations cost less than $500." Pazdral believes the employment provisions of the ADA are important because they allow people with disabilities to become financially independent, contributing members of society, rather than the recipients of government funds.

Laura Schultz, who has systemic lupus erythematosis, is a marriage and child counselor. "Employers used to think I was feigning illness," she said. "With the ADA, though, I've been able to work with my employer to arrange a flexible schedule. If I'm fatigued or ill, I can adjust my hours so I can rest."

Some employers have long been willing to employ people with disabilities. For such companies, the ADA serves as a guidepost in their efforts. Tad Childs, Director of IBM's Workforce Diversity Program, sent a letter to the Town Meeting in which he wrote that the ADA has brought the concept of 'essential functions' to his company's attention. "We wanted to be sure we complied with this landmark legislation," he wrote, and stated that IBM has altered its policies on applicant inquiries and medical exams to comply with the law. Childs also wrote that IBM has developed a comprehensive ADA training program for all its managers, and that all line managers are trained to deal with disabilities on a daily basis. "We hire talented people with skills and potential who happen to have disabilities," Childs wrote. "Full and equal access is at the heart of the ADA."

Not only has the ADA contributed to people's successes in finding employment, but it has provided recourse to people who have been discriminated against in employment. Brian Hearn is a 30 year old with a lifelong visual impairment. But his impairment did not stop him from working successfully as a heavy equipment operator for years. Even though he was told he had a unique feel for the equipment and was hired for one job over more than 30 other applicants, he was fired when upper management found out about his impairment. Hearn learned about the ADA and filed a complaint against his former employer. "The case is not yet resolved, but the ADA has given me the recourse to fight against being fired unfairly," says Hearn. He describes the ADA as "a ray of hope for many."

The ADA's accessibility requirements in public accommodations and telecommunications have had a significant impact on people with hearing impairments, as a number of Californians described. Senior citizens and many others have benefited from the assisted listening systems now available at the Culver City community center, according to Camille Jones, Coordinator of Disability Services for Culver City. "We get 15-20 requests every day for assisted listening systems from people who attend lectures and participate in groups at the center," said Jones. Jones described a bereavement group at the center, at which some participants had never expressed any emotion. "But once the listening devices were in use, people cried, gave and sought support, and their participation in the group was transformed," she said. With hearing impairments so common among older people, Jones said, access to listening devices opens up many activities previously denied to seniors.

Grace Tiessen is another hearing-impaired person who has benefited from the ADA. "In 1991 my employer bought an assisted listening device, so I could participate in meetings and workshops," she said. "When they updated the phone system, each telephone was hearing aid-compatible and equipped with volume control," she went on. "Before that I had to bring in my own phone from home, and that was the only one I could use." Tiessen says her social life has improved with the passage of the ADA. "For the first time I can go to movies with friends. And the Pasadena senior center just got FM assisted listening devices, so I plan to start going." Tiessen had never participated in senior center activities before because she couldn't understand what was going on. Tiessen also reported that when she travels, she asks tour guides to wear an FM transmitter, and she wears the receiver, so that she can hear what the guide is describing.

Finally, Richard Hester, whose parents were deaf, expressed great enthusiasm for the ADA. "When my parents were living, there was no relay service or closed captioning," he said. "It's exciting to see that deaf people are able to live independently, thanks to the ADA."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Attitudes are changing toward disabilities, resulting in more respectful treatment of people with disabilities.
• Section 504 and other preexisting civil rights laws for people with disabilities are finally being enforced now that the ADA is in effect.
• Local and intercity travel have become much more available to people with disabilities.
• The ADA provides legal recourse for people with disabilities who are discriminated against in employment.
• The relay service has allowed people with hearing impairments to participate in society as never before.
• Senior citizens benefit from curb cuts, assisted listening devices, and other changes that the ADA has brought.

COLORADO SUMMARY REPORT
MAY 26, 1995

Host organization: ADAPT
NCD Staff: Billie Jean Hill

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Colorado?

Colorado residents came to their Town Meeting to tell NCD that the ADA is working for them. It has made a difference in their lives in a variety of ways. Some speakers addressed their improved ability to travel, while others cited better access to employment. The ADA aids in the enforcement of other valuable legislation, and certain communities have made access to all citizens a high priority. Businesses are beginning to open their doors to people with disabilities.

Local transportation is also better, now that the ADA is in effect. Says Latanya Reeves, "The most valuable thing about the ADA to me is that I can get to and from where I want to go on the bus. The ADA means a lot to me." Peter Splaine, of the Colorado Cross Disabilities Coalition, spoke for many when he said, "Now there is a freedom to go places. I applaud the ADA!"

With very high unemployment among people with disabilities, the ADA's employment provisions are hailed by many. Especially valuable in helping people with disabilities to become taxpayers is the 'reasonable accommodation' provision. Penny Ford commented that a young man with cerebral palsy works in her office. "He makes use of ADAPT's program to make available onsite job supports," she said. "This program allows him to work productively in our office," she said.

The ADA's protections go beyond the specifics spelled out in the legislation. Les Reed, the father of a child with a disability, told a story about another family who used the ADA to win access to a school activity that should not have been denied their child under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). "The ADA can leverage compliance where more traditional remedies under IDEA aren't effective in the school arena," stated Reed.

Several Coloradans spoke about the willingness of certain municipalities to implement the ADA. "Vail has gone far beyond the ADA," explained Mark Simon. He pointed out that Vail is one of the few towns in the state that requires businesses to comply with the ADA in order to get a building permit. Simon cites a large ski operator, Vail Associates, as the impetus behind the city's commitment to access. "This business resisted compliance for a long time," he said, "and then they realized compliance can be profitable. Their policy now," said Simon, "is not to comply with the ADA but to do whatever it takes to serve its customers."

Boulder also was praised for its commitment to access. "The city has really taken accessibility to heart," says Bruce Gougen. "I can pile my three kids onto my wheelchair," he said, "and we go exploring all over the city. Gougen said that when an inaccessible site is brought to the attention of city authorities, "they get on it right away."

The state government has made a very important move toward accessibility. Robin Stephens of ADAPT told about the request she and others made of the state's lottery commission. They asked that ADA compliance be made a requirement for the more than 2,600 stores in the state that sell lottery tickets. "The commission passed the rule!" she told those assembled.

Indeed, public accommodations of all sorts have become more accessible. Even a relatively small thing like an accessible coffee shop can make a major difference. Latanya Reeves described a newly accessible coffee shop in her neighborhood which now gives her a place, other than her home, where she can meet friends.

Penny Ford described her pleasure, as a mother of a child with cerebral palsy, at being able to take her son to a baseball game at the new Coors Field. "Even when the people in front of him stood up and blocked his view," she said, "he could still see the field by watching a TV that was mounted nearby." Such places are very welcome, according to Ford, who explained that it is difficult for parents to provide accessible activities in the community that their children with disabilities can enjoy.

Perhaps children's perspectives on disabilities should be taken more into account. John Roberts of the Rocky Mountain Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center related an experience he had. "I was eating in a Walgreen's restaurant, and the little girl in the next booth kept turning around and staring at me," he said. "Then she walked by me to the bathroom, staring all the while," he said. "On her way back she stopped and asked me what was wrong with me, and I explained that I fell down and broke my back, so I can't walk." Then Roberts heard the girl tell her mother, "See, Mom, I told you there's nothing wrong with him."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• A variety of public accommodations have been made accessible--stores, restaurants, ball fields, airports, and much more.
• Transportation has become much more available to people with disabilities--local and long distance travel alike.
• Some cities have gone to great lengths to make their services accessible to all citizens.
• People without disabilities are much more likely now to treat people with disabilities as human beings.

CONNECTICUT SUMMARY REPORT
MARCH 29, 1995

Host organization: Independence Unlimited, Inc.
NCD Member: Mary Raether

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Connecticut?

Connecticut citizens gathered to recount their successes in using the ADA to gain access to employment, public accommodations, and transportation.

Because the ADA provides for 'reasonable accommodation' in the workplace, many individuals with disabilities have been able to put their skills and talents to work. Marcia Smith-Glasper is one person who is contributing, thanks to the 'reasonable accommodation' provision. "I'm a minority with a disability and the parent of a child with a disability," says Smith-Glasper, who is also the ADA Coordinator at the Connecticut Department of Labor. Smith-Glasper credits the ADA with making it possible for her to take the time she needs to go to physical therapy to treat her disability. And her 13 year old daughter has sickle cell anemia, "but we didn't know her rights until about two years ago," Smith-Glasper recalls. Smith-Glasper can take time off work if necessary when her daughter is in the hospital. And Smith-Glasper says she looks forward to the day when her daughter goes to work. "By then I expect most employers will know the ADA well and will be accommodating," she said. "I am proud to be an advocate of the ADA."

The 'reasonable accommodation' provision has also been a help to Ann Walton. Walton has diabetes but was at stroke level by the time the disease was diagnosed. "I didn't know I could get reasonable accommodation, so I went to work every day, in spite of my high sugar level and severe weight loss. Now I know my basic rights," she says. At work Walton is not afraid to say she is tired and needs to shut her office door and rest. "And I can ask my secretary to help me if necessary, without fear of losing my job," said Walton.

Having access to an interpreter in the workplace can make an immeasurable difference to people who are hearing impaired. Nan Geissler, of Independence Unlimited, Inc. (IUI), told a story about a deaf woman who was concerned that she was not advancing in her company. The woman wanted to meet with her supervisor, along with a representative from IU, with an interpreter present. The supervisor grudgingly agreed, and what came out of the meeting was eye opening for everyone present. It was apparent to Geissler that the woman was not trained well in the use of her equipment and did not know how to apply for another job. "She didn't even realize she had gotten a promotion," said Geissler. "Nor could she communicate well with other workers." When the supervisor realized how much her employee was missing, changes were made to make sure the woman knew about and was part of what was going on in the office. "The situation was resolved well," said Geissler, "but it wouldn't have been if it weren't for the ADA."

No less important than employment is the impact the ADA has had on public accommodations--for the better, according to those who spoke at the Town Meeting. Sue LaChance, a peer counselor with the Disabilities Network of Eastern Connecticut, described the success she and others had in getting a shopping area to put in some ramps. Mystic Village, a shopping complex with individual stores designed in an old seafaring motif in keeping with the historic Mystic Seaport nearby, was completely inaccessible. Almost all of the stores in the complex were inaccessible, despite advertising claims that the complex was accessible. "We asked store owners to build ramps, but they wouldn't have anything to do with us," related LaChance. "Even our lawyer got nowhere with the merchants until he cited the ADA," she said. Now Mystic Village is building ramps to all its stores and is making bathrooms accessible as well. "It's nice to finally be able to go to Mystic Village just like anyone else," said LaChance.

Some businesses have been eager to open up to customers with disabilities, several said. Juliet Meyer praised many store owners in Norwalk for their efforts to offer access to people with disabilities. For example, "the Pepperidge Farm Thrift Store widened its aisles and put up signs outside that say, 'If you need help, honk and we'll come out and help you.'" Meyer cited several outlet stores that have created accessible fitting rooms for customers.

Access to public telephones for the hard of hearing mean a lot to Mark Galucc, Executive Director of the Greater New Haven Disability Rights Activists Center For Independence and Access. He described a pre-ADA experience that could not happen today. Galucc was driving his car when a torrential rainstorm broke out. The road became flooded, and his car stalled. There was no place to move the car, so he walked to a nearby gas station. "There was no hearing aid-compatible phone and no phone with a volume-raising switch, so I tried to explain my situation to the manager and get him to call my family or the police or a tow truck for me," recounted Galucc. "The owner refused to help. His young assistant even sneaked outside to make the call and was promptly fired," said Galucc. Finally Galucc called his brother and just hoped that his brother was listening. "Today none of that would have happened," said Galucc. "With the ADA I can use a public phone instead of being at the mercy of others in an emergency," he said.

Shirley Krassner described another valuable public accommodation. She knows an elderly deaf man who wanted to attend library board meetings. But he couldn't follow what was being said. The library then installed computer-aided real time reporting, which allows the man, and other deaf persons, to read others' remarks just seconds after they are made.

Barbara Monty, Chair of the Capital Statewide Independent Living Council, told of her long-term effort to ensure that the items in her local grocery store were accessible. Once when she was in the store, she noticed that the dog food, which she buys regularly for her two large dogs, was being moved from the bottom shelf, where she had had no trouble reaching it from her power wheelchair. It was being put into a huge stack, from which cans could only be removed from the top. Monty expressed her need to be able to reach for the cans at chair level, but she was ignored. She kept requesting the cans' location be changed but continued to be ignored. "Finally," she said, "I called the store's central office and explained what the ADA requires. The cans were moved."

No less important than access to public accommodations is the transportation to get to them. And real strides are being made in expanding accessible public transportation. Before paratransit came to her town, Lauren Esposito had to carefully husband her money for cab fares, limiting trips to only her essential errands. "I was a prisoner in my own home," she said, "so I advocated for paratransit." Esposito wrote articles and letters in the local paper and communicated with local officials. "Then came the news that paratransit would begin. I was so excited!" she said. "And I felt so proud zipping around the stores in my wheelchair making my purchases," she exclaimed.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Many stores and other businesses have become accessible to people with disabilities.
• When people with disabilities advocate for their own needs, those needs are more likely to be met than they were in the pre-ADA years.
• The concept of 'reasonable accommodation' has allowed people with disabilities to keep jobs they might have otherwise lost due to their disabilities.
• The public is much more receptive to and comfortable with people who have disabilities.

DELAWARE SUMMARY REPORT
MARCH 2, 1995

Host organization: Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
NCD Member: Larry Brown

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Delaware?

The ADA has been important in the lives of many of Delaware's citizens, a number of individuals told NCD. Employment was the area most often cited in which important gains have been made. But people also addressed gains in the areas of public accommodation and transportation, as well as the new access enjoyed by people with hearing impairments to a variety of activities that hearing people take for granted.

"Some employers in Delaware go beyond the requirements of the ADA because they find that qualified disabled workers provide a dependable workforce," commented Diane Treacy, Executive Director of the Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. Indeed, Peggy Eddens, Vice-President of Human Resources at Mellon Bank tells was quoted in a Delaware Department of Labor press release describing people with disabilities as "good workers for Mellon Bank." Mellon Bank was the Governor's Committee's 'Employer of the Year' in 1993.

Treacy cited two examples of individuals with disabilities for whom the ADA has made an important difference. One woman, according to Treacy, had been told by her doctor not to work longer than eight hours at a stretch because of an earlier back injury. But "the employer advised that she must work 12 hour shifts or be terminated," stated Treacy. "She followed the process of a memo and was delighted to retain her job and still stay on an eight hour shift," explained Treacy.

Treacy's other example was a woman who was being asked by her employer to provide justification every time she used medical leave to keep appointments with a therapist. "She presented a memo from a psychiatrist documenting her disability," Treacy explained, "and flexible hours were arranged."

In Treacy's own case, her employer--the state of Delaware--modified a restroom and the fire evacuation process, and also provided designated parking for her.

One speaker, Professor Osgood, related his mentally retarded daughter's positive employment experience. Before the ADA, Osgood explained, her work schedule was reduced, and she was finally fired "because customers gave her a hard time." But now she is successfully employed at a Super 8 motel.

Another way in which the ADA helps people with disabilities in employment is by creating a supportive climate, according to Linda Helby, a planner for the Division of Aging and Disability. "The ADA has led to creative solutions," she said, for keeping qualified employees with disabilities on the job.

When it comes to public accommodations, Delaware citizens with disabilities are better off than they were before the ADA. Larry Field, a consultant on ADA building standards, commented that large companies like Wal-Mart and Dupont are complying with the ADA. He believes that some large companies have found access to be a marketing advantage and cited Exxon's signs at gas stations inviting drivers who need assistance to honk their horn.

Larry Henderson, the director of an independent living center, agrees that larger companies are doing a good job of complying with the ADA. "Supermarkets have become much more accessible to shoppers with disabilities," he observed.

One group who appear to have benefited a great deal from the ADA are the deaf and hard of hearing. Loretta Sarro, Coordinator of the Delaware Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, related her own personal experiences. Staying overnight at a hotel has become a different experience for Sarro, with the ADA, because she can now request a room with TV close captioning, a special smoke detector, TTY, and a door knock flasher. Now "I can talk with a friend in town or in another room," she stated in written testimony, "or call for room service at the hotel." Sarro appreciates being able to call first before driving to visit a friend in the area. "I do not have to go down to the front desk for a question," she writes, and "I can be reached at the hotel if there is an emergency."

Sarro is also pleased with the implementation of the relay service. "The telecommunications relay service is a very important priority in my life," she writes, "because I can contact my family, friends, and businesses such as a bank, doctor, etc." Sarro is glad she no longer has to depend on family or friends to use the telephone. Now "I can talk with anyone in my own words."

Transportation has improved since the ADA went into effect. Professor Osgood related that, thanks to improvements in paratransit, his daughter is able to take paratransit to and from her job.

While the ADA has been successful thus far in many areas, one area that clearly needs work is outreach to minorities. According to Larry Henderson, "minorities are not as aware of the ADA as others."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Many qualified workers with disabilities have been able to remain employed through accommodations that have been very inexpensive.
• Many large companies have done a good job of complying with the ADA.

WASHINGTON, D.C. SUMMARY REPORT
JUNE 5, 1995

Host organization: D.C. Center for Independent Living
NCD Member: Marca Bristo, Yerker Andersson, Mary M. Raether

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Washington, D.C.?

For many Washingtonians, the ADA has meant important and positive changes in their lives. Overwhelmingly, the area of greatest benefit has been transportation, according to speakers at Washington, D.C.'s Town Meeting. Other areas in which the ADA has helped, people said, are employment and services for people with hearing impairments. And a number of individuals addressed intangible benefits from the ADA that are no less important.

"The ADA has enabled me to get out of my house," remarked Brunilda Batista."Metro Access gives me transportation on a daily basis." And Tony Rhodes agreed that "Metro Access is a very good service." Luethel Garrison uses Metro Access five days a week. "I am so grateful for Metro Access," she exclaimed.

Angela Vaughn, a client of the D.C. Independent Living Center, used Metro Access to get to the Town Meeting and brought some neighbors along with her. "I ride Metro Access a lot," she said. "It's very important to the handicapped community to have these buses running." Vaughn is happy that, with Metro Access, she can get out by herself to a doctor's appointment, to visit a friend, or do an errand. "I used to have to wait for someone else to offer to take me places," she said.

The Metro train, fixed route buses, and paratransit are all used by Jennifer Dodd, who is blind. "I thank God I'm able to take Metro train and fixed route buses," she said, "but I'm thankful for paratransit. It's good to know it's there when I need it." Independence is very important to Dodd, and she described her apartment manager who often comments on how independent Dodd is. "I've heard her tell people I'm never home, that I'm always taking the bus somewhere," Dodd added.

Now that summer is here, Alfredia Young is glad she can take public transportation to swimming and other outdoor activities. Young also commented that she helps Metro Access do its job by calling Metro anytime a driver is unwilling to lower the wheelchair lift for her or treats her rudely.

Improvements in local transportation and long distance travel mean greater access to employment. The ADA also addresses employment by calling for fairness in hiring and 'reasonable accommodations' to enable persons with disabilities to use their abilities in the workplace. "Thanks to the ADA," remarked Karen Salva, "people with disabilities can enter the workforce more easily, and with dignity. The ADA means it's illegal," she added, "for the business sector to reject and discriminate against me because of my physical and speech disabilities." Although not currently employed, Salva looks forward to the day when she has a job and can be economically independent, rather than have to depend on taxpayers' money.

Reasonable accommodations have helped George Aguehounde fulfill his work responsibilities. Because his disability requires him to recline, his employer has secured for him a desk and chair that accommodate this need. His employer, the D.C. Center for Independent Living, also allows him to work at home on rainy or snowy days when getting to work is more difficult than usual.

John O'Rourke of Macfadden & Associates had a chance to educate a corporate manager about reasonable accommodation and the ADA. O'Rourke told the story of sitting in a bar and talking with the man next to him who worked for ITT. The man described an employee with a disability who was not performing up to par. After hearing the details of the situation, O'Rourke was able to suggest some possible accommodations that would be simple and inexpensive, yet would enable the employee to perform satisfactorily. "When we left," O'Rourke recounted, "the man told me, an hour and a half ago I was ready to be in combat with you over the ADA. I'd read about the law and didn't think much of it. But after our discussion, I wonder why I ever thought that way, why I wasn't more perceptive."

Certainly some of the greatest gains resulting from the ADA are those that benefit people with hearing impairments. Tom Kober, an advocate for the deaf community from Gallaudet University, exclaimed that "the relay is wonderful. Thanks to this service, I can call anyone, anywhere, anytime." Kober also credits the ADA with making interpreters more readily available. "The ADA is a real blessing for the deaf community," he said.

In addition to the clear benefits the ADA has brought to people with disabilities, Linda Strating believes the law paves the way for caregivers to do a better job. Working as an attendant for eight months gave her a fuller perspective of what living with a disability is like, and she is more conscious now of some of the barriers the ADA is removing. "Laws like the ADA are necessary to get us going," she explained, "but they'll be less needed as time goes on."

Gregory Dugan spoke for many when he pronounced that "the ADA has made me feel like a real American!" He cited former President Bush, who signed the ADA into law and stated that "the ADA will bring down the shameful wall of exclusion." And finally, "the ADA is not an ending but a beginning. The ADA means access to a better life," said Cornell Mersies.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Accessible transportation has increased tremendously, and many, many people are grateful for it.
• People with disabilities feel more independent than before the ADA because they can get out of their homes more easily.
• Many people with disabilities feel a greater sense of dignity and worth than in the past.
• Employment is more available to people with disabilities.

FLORIDA SUMMARY REPORT
FEBRUARY 1, 1995

Host organizations: Abilities of Florida, Business Coalition for Americans with Disabilities, and Metro-Dade Disability Services and Independent Living
NCD Member: Marca Bristo, Chairperson, presided. All NCD members were present.

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Florida?

A diverse group of Floridians spoke out about the difference the ADA has made in their lives. Many have been helped by the ADA in employment, and others spoke of benefits in the areas of public accommodations, and benefits to children, minorities, and farmworkers. Others described the ADA as a valuable tool people with disabilities can use to bring about greater accessibility.

Angelina Rodriguez, Program Director for the nonprofit Spinal Cord Living Assistance Development said "The ADA gives people hope that they can compete in the workplace." Before the ADA was enacted, Rodriguez explained, her organization worked mainly to help people achieve maximum personal independence. "Since the ADA came into law," she said, "we have been helping our clients get into the workforce.

"I never thought I'd be able to get a job," remarked Sergio Renden, who works for Metro Dade Disabiltiy Services. When he came to the United States, he said, he learned about laws and rights, but saw nothing for people with disabilties. "Then the ADA came, and all doors began opening up. I'm grateful for the ADA," he said. "I've had my job for five years and I'm glad to contribute to my community."

Mark Seldon has achieved his career goal in spite of discouragement from others. "When I got my master's degree," said Seldon, "there were people who said I couldn't be a social worker, that I was unemployable. The ADA helped me believe I could work. Seldon works as a disabilities advocate at a private rehabilitation association.

While the ADA has helped a number of people with disabilities to find satisfying jobs, the Act has also given people an important tool to ensure that their disabilities can be accommodated in the workplace--the reasonable accommodation provision. Before the ADA, related an unidentified man who works for Florida Power and Light, "I had a problem at work getting a door opener and things put low enough so that I could use them." But since the ADA, "the accommodations I need have been easy to obtain, and my employer has been great."

When talking to employers, Michael Messer, Executive Director of the Association for Retarded Citizens in Miami, calls the ADA a "door opener." Messer says that once employers understand the law and what is expected of them, "they are willing to learn what they need to do." Messer believes the ADA is moving more people into jobs and into the community.

While the employment provisions are one of the most important parts of the ADA, the law's call for access in public accommodations has also had a positive impact on many lives. Barbara Bernhardt reported that since the ADA's passage, she has seen more accessible clothing stores, equipped with accessible fitting rooms. And hotels, she says, are realizing that accessibility means good business. She described one Florida hotel that has made 13 guest rooms accessible. Roll-in showers and a variety of accommodations for people with hearing impairments are available.

Accommodations are also being made in the area of mental health services, explained Maggie Fermin, a counselor for people with hearing impairments. "Before the ADA," she said, "deaf and hard of hearing people had little access to psychologists and psychiatrists." But now, "interpreters are more readily available, and there are some mental health professionals who sign," said Fermin.

The ADA has had a particularly positive impact on certain populations, especially children. Three organizations of parents of children with disabilities were represented at the Town Meeting. One parent, Maria Fernandez, speaking through an interpreter, told those assembled, "Before the ADA came about, parents of children with disabilities did not know where to turn. Now we are able to get the help our children need."

Another group who have especially benefited from the ADA are Hispanic Americans. Angelina Rodriguez explained that Hispanic families are likely to view disability as shame on the family, something to keep hidden. But the ADA is helping to dispel that sense, she said, and Hispanic Americans with disabilities are seeking the education and training that will enable them to participate fully in society.

Farmworkers are another group who have benefited from the ADA, according to Eduardo Bernones of the Farmworker Training Program for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers. In reporting his recent efforts to get a grant to help migrant farmworkers with disabilities, Bernones said, "I was amazed to learn that the rate of disability among farmworkers is three times the national average." There are 200,000 migrant farmworkers with disabilities in the U.S., according to Bernones, and 60,000 disabled farmworker dependents. Because of the grant he helped secure, "awareness of the ADA among farmworkers in the area has increased," Bernones said.

One of the greatest impacts of the ADA is that it supports people's efforts to advocate for greater access. Jack Humburg, Director of Communications for Abilities of Florida, told a story about how one family, because they knew the law, were able to get St. Petersburg's Thunder Dome to set aside front row seats on a regular basis for spectators with visual impairments.

Humburg related another story about a deaf woman from Colombia who married an American and moved to the U.S. "He abused her and controlled her," Humburg recounted. The woman left her husband, contacted a deaf services center, and learned her rights as a citizen and a deaf person. She got training and is now working as a secretary. "The ADA gave her motivation," said Humburg. "Without the rights granted through the ADA, she couldn't have broken away and found employment."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• People with disabilities are more able to ask for--and get--access to employment, shopping, and recreation.
• There are more assistive technologies available in the workplace.
• The number of curb cuts and handicapped parking spaces has grown.
• There has been a change in attitude on the part of business owners, employers, and others. They have become much more receptive to making reasonable accommodations.
• The attitude of people with disabilities has changed. Many said that now for the first time they see themselves as full citizens with the same rights and responsibilities as other Americans.

GEORGIA SUMMARY REPORT
FEBRUARY 4, 1995

Host organization: Georgia ADA Exchange
NCD Member: Jack Gannon

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Georgia?

Better opportunities for children, greater ease in travel, and improved services of all sorts for people with disabilities were cited by Georgians as important benefits brought about by the ADA.

"My son Daniel has been in Cub Scouts for the last two years, thanks to the ADA," said Nancy Duncan, the mother of a third grader who is blind. She explained that before the ADA, Scouting was closed to children with disabilities. But today he is part of a neighborhood troop with his friends. Other opportunities are opening up for Daniel as well. Last year he attended a city-sponsored day camp, open for the first time to children with disabilities. "And you can't imagine the look on Daniel's face in a restaurant recently when he sat down and read the Braille menu! These changes have only been possible since the ADA," Duncan said.

Playing and watching sports have also become easier for children with disabilities. Until recently, related Linda Hawkins, sports at school were off limits for her son, a 17 year old who uses a wheelchair. "John wanted to participate in weight training, but couldn't get to the field house." Located down a steep gravel hill from the school, the field house was inaccessible for John's wheelchair. But the school agreed to create an accessible path to the field house only after Hawkins studied the ADA and insisted that her son be accommodated. A new gym is being built at the school, and it is being made accessible. "I couldn't get the school to make accommodations until I had the ADA behind me," Hawkins stated.

Another mother, Jill Crow, told about her 10-year old daughter who loves baseball. But the only way she could attend her brother's games was for three men to carry her and her wheelchair to the ball field. "Once she got there, she was in danger of being hit because there was no place for her wheelchair that was safe from foul balls," said her mother. But thanks to the ADA, the ball field is now accessible. A high fence protects wheelchair users and others, and the gravel and mud that made maneuvering a wheelchair difficult have been replaced with walkways.

The Act has made life better for travelers as well. Edrina Clegg stated that she has been able to continue her education only because a van equipped with a lift can transport her to school.

Jesse Tyler owes his employment to the improved public transportation the ADA has brought about. Years ago Tyler took the bus to work every day in Atlanta. But after a spinal cord injury it became necessary for him to use a wheelchair, As a result, he had no way to get to work. "Because of the ADA, the city put lifts on the buses, and I became an employed person again," said Tyler. "I spend my money and pay taxes, thanks to an accessible transportation system that wouldn't have occurred without the ADA. Tyler added that he is glad the ADA has helped him get off government support and into productive work.

Improvements in local public transportation got Bonnie Bonham out of a jam. Bonham, a wheelchair user, was driving on the highway near Atlanta when her van broke down. She called AAA, and "thanks to the fact that Cobb County operates accessible vehicles, they were able to get us and our wheelchairs home," she said. "Without the ADA, Cobb County wouldn't have offered such a service," she said.

Tony Cordova also spoke of the changes ADA has wrought in public transportation. "The ADA has provided me with good public transportation," he said. "The bus comes within a half-block of my home. I use it all the time." Cordova also recounted that as the ADA was working its way through Congress, his local transit authority was trying to decide whether to purchase some accessible buses. Cordova was part of a citizens' group that persuaded the transit authority to do so.

Improved public transportation has meant a lot to Carol Asch, a Columbus resident who uses a wheelchair. Her city's buses have been equipped with hydraulic lifts, she says, "so I can get out and do things. I'm grateful for the ADA," she said.

"The difference in long distance travel pre-ADA and post-ADA is dramatic!" exclaimed Bonnie Bonham. Last year when she flew to California she was delighted that the shuttle service was accessible and that, with no problem, she could rent an accessible van upon arrival. Travel was far more difficult before the ADA passed, she said.

The improvements in access to Amtrak trains is a result of the ADA, Adam Shapiro told NCD. "I worked hard for years to get Amtrak to install 'detectable warning' granite strips in its stations," he said, "but it was only after the ADA passed that things started to happen."

In addition to expanding opportunities for children and making travel easier, the ADA has also made many local and state government services more accessible. In Hall County, for example, the public library, the court house, science center, school board building, and even the landfill are being made accessible, according to Stephanie Wells, who represents ACCESS-Hall County and the Georgia Library Association. "Without the ADA, none of the improvements to these facilities would be underway," she told those attending the Town Meeting. The library, she said, is beginning to buy close-captioned films and descriptive videos. "The ADA has made the library system aware of the need to provide services and materials for people with all disabilities," she said.

The Georgia Highway Patrol has also made its services more accessible by installing a TTY. "They have not always had access through the relay," said Sandy Marchman, "and they wanted to make sure deaf people can reach them in an emergency."

In addition to benefiting people with all sorts of disabilities in all sorts of ways, the ADA helps non-disabled individuals as well. Liz Patrick, Chair of the Georgia ADA Exchange, stated two ways in which she benefits. First of all, she could become disabled at any time and would really need the law. And second, "thanks to the ADA, I've gotten to know some fine people I wouldn't have met if curb cuts, wheelchair lifts, and other improvements hadn't been made that allow people with disabilities to get out in the world," she said.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers.

• Transportation improvements have made both intra-city and inter-city travel easier for people with disabilities.
• Many businesses are complying with the ADA because they realize that accessibility means good business.
• People with hearing impairments can now participate in town meetings and conferences that they could not attend in the past.
• Parks and day camps are more accessible, and there are more programs that are inclusive, rather than created specifically for people with disabilities.

HAWAII SUMMARY REPORT
FEBRUARY 28, 1995

Host organization: Hawaii Centers for Independent Living
NCD Staff: Billie Jean Hill

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Hawaii?

Hawaii residents testified that the ADA has had a positive impact on their lives, especially in the areas of employment, public accommodations, and transportation. Several also stated that the ADA has created a new awareness that has brought its own benefits.

One important thing the ADA has done to make employment more accessible is to call for reasonable accommodations that allow people to perform well on the job. Cindy McCoy, Chapter Services Director of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Honolulu, explained that she and many of her clients are able to work flex time schedules, thanks to the ADA. "Another accommodation that helps people with MS to remain employed," McCoy said, "is being allowed to work at home."

Michael Tada has also benefited from the ADA's Title I provisions on employment. "When ADA was first introduced," he said, "I got hired at Pizza Hut, after completing my training at Lanakila Crafts." Tada, who has cerebral palsy, added, "I'll do whatever it takes to help ensure that the ADA stays strong."

The ADA has added strength to the efforts of institutions that have long been involved in helping individuals with disabilities find employment. Chrissy Zukerkorn, who does job placement at Goodwill Industries, believes that the ADA has made a difference in her job placement efforts. "Many employers are very receptive," she said.

Michelle Williamson added in a written statement that the ADA "has helped me to understand my rights in getting a job, since I have a disability." The ADA has also given Williamson the courage to talk about her disability, she wrote.

The ADA has made restaurants, conferences, and a wide range of other activities accessible. Philip Ana, who works at the Hawaii Centers for Independent Living, related that he has encountered wheelchair-accessible tables at McDonald's. The tables can be converted, he explained, so that a person in a wheelchair can pull in under the table and sit at it, just as anyone else can.

Ana, who is blind, also commented that public accommodations have become more accessible to people with visual impairments. "I notice now every conference that I attend, the people who are managing the program make sure that there's Braille material available," Ana said.

Thanks to the ADA, Lourdes Mugas, a wheelchair user, successfully advocated for the lowering of public telephones at a major hotel. "The problem is they wanted to accommodate people, but they didn't know how," she said. Mugas referred the hotel to an ADA consultant, and the phones were lowered. The hotel is also creating accessible parking spaces, as a result of Mugas's intervention, she explained.

The next frontier for accessible public accommodations, according to Ana, is the beach. Ana stated that he and another Independent Living Center staff member are working on finding ways to make the beach accessible to people with disabilities!

In addition to public accommodations and employment, important strides are also being made in transportation. JoAnne Bosserdet commented that Honolulu paratransit and the city's accessible buses have "opened up another world for all of the disabled here in Hawaii. "Now the accessible buses will go around the island," she said.

One of the greatest benefits of the ADA is not a concrete one. Many reported that the ADA has increased public awareness and has led to an increase in self-esteem among people with disabilities. Michelle Williamson believes that, even though the ADA does not address housing, it helped her succeed more quickly in getting her apartment made accessible. "Because of the ADA," she said, "I think it made it a little bit faster because the landlord understood that things need to be accessible."

Mark Obatake, Executive Director of the Hawaii Centers for Independent Living, summed it up for many when he described the ADA as a civil rights law for people with disabilities. "As a person with a disability looking at the ADA," he said, "more than anything else it has given me personally a sense of validation." He went on to say that even though the spirit of the ADA is not confrontational, it does offer legal recourse in cases where the civil rights of people with disabilities are denied.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• The ADA has expanded work opportunities by calling for reasonable accommodations.
• Attitudes of many people, including employers, are changing for the better, in regard to people with disabilities.
• Travel, both local and long distance, has become easier for people with disabilities.
• The ADA has increased awareness that helps enforce existing laws that protect the rights of individuals with disabilities.
• The self-esteem and confidence of people with disabilities is much improved.
• A variety of public accommodations have become accessible to people with a variety of disabilities.
• People with disabilities now have an effective tool for self-advocacy, and they are using it.