Imagine for a moment that you couldn’t walk. If you had to use a wheelchair to get around, could you get on and off a bus? If the entrance to a store, office or other public building were slightly elevated, could you get to the door and open it by yourself, and would the doorway be wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair?

Imagine for a moment that you were deaf. Could you make an appointment with a doctor, communicate your symptoms, and understand instructions from the medical staff during that appointment? Could you register for and understand a training session or a class at a university? Could you follow a news program on TV or watch a video?

Imagine for a moment that you were blind. Could you get to and from a store on your own and find what you want? Could you order a meal at an unfamiliar restaurant? Could you get to and from a polling station during an election and cast a vote?

Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which turns 20 this month, transportation, public facilities and many services in the United States are more accessible to all. Thanks to ADA, for example, many city buses and trains have lifts or ramps for wheelchairs, priority seating signs, handrails, slip-resistant flooring, and information stamped in Braille. Emergency call centers are equipped with telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDDs), and federally funded public service announcements have closed captioning. Most importantly, ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in job recruitment, hiring, promotions, training or pay.

ADA’s provisions have helped enable many people to live independently, despite any physical or mental disability, and have helped protect their rights. Are there similar laws where you live?