Hi everybody. I thought since tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I would discuss my thoughts on disability. Since we here in Klangoland have a large international user base, I thought a bit of explaining is in order. The Americans with Disabilities Act, more commonly referred to as the ADA, was signed into law on July 26, 1990 by then President George H.W. Bush. It was enacted to ensure equal access to all things by those of us with disabilities. The Disability Pride Parade is hosted every year here in the Windy City to honor people with disabilities. We are the only city which has this parade, and I went to last year’s parade and was in this year’s parade. This is a great opportunity for people with disabilities to not only get recognized for their contributions to society, but also as a sort of meet-and-greet. I went yesterday expecting to march in the parade, but instead I was in a float.
What are my thoughts on disability? Well, I quite like being blind. It does have its ups and downs, as with everything. However, what I like about being blind is that I get to show off skills such as assistive technology. My feelings about our nation’s two blindness organizations are these. First off, I’m not a member of either organization and never have been. I have given serious thought to joining one of them, but I feel they’re just not for me at this point in time. These organizations started out as one, but then split off. This is all very well-documented in a book entitled “People of Vision: A History of the American Council of the Blind,” available from www.acb.org . While it is true that the ACB and the NFB have collaborated on a few issues, they have for the most part gone their separate ways. This to me is most unfortunate, given that they were united at one time,. I cannot understand it. If you’re going to disagree, then do it in a mature and respectable fashion. That’s what I was taught. But for the most part it seems these two organizations prefer hostility towards one another over peaceful disagreements. That’s why I want absolutely none of it. As a matter of fact, I somehow feel I’d only fuel the flames that already exist among these people. I’m a peaceful person, and do not take well to violence of any sort, especially physical violence. But back to the Americans with Disabilities Act. It has indeed accomplished a good many things, but there’s still a great deal of work to be accomplished before we’re in full compliance.
Filed by jajoehl74 at 7:17 am under Uncategorized