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Hi, I am Lateef McLeod,

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and I am a PhD candidate at the[br]anthropology and social change program

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at California Institute[br]for Integral Studies,

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and also the Vice President[br]of the LEAD committee

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at the International Society for[br]Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

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I am also a published poet[br]with two books out,

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"A Declaration of a Body of Love"

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and "Whispers of Krip Love[br]Shouts of Krip Revolution."

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I am also writing on a novel[br]entitled "The Third Eye Is Crying."

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The first memory I have[br]of disability discrimination or ableism

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is when I was at Marine World as a child,

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and I wanted to play[br]on this big play structure jungle

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that they had,[br]but I could not climb the rope slides

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to enter the play structure.

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This is my first vivid memory that I[br]couldn't do things that other kids did,

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and I had a feeling of being left out.

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This feeling of being left out[br]has followed me throughout my life

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as I observe that our society and culture

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is more accessible for temporary[br]able-bodied people

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and not disabled people.

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The ADA has been a big[br]difference in my life.

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Without its passing, I wouldn't be able[br]to obtain my educational degrees

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like my Bachelor's in English[br]from UC Berkeley

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and my Master's of Fine Arts[br]in Creative Writing at Mills College.

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I also would not be able[br]to currently pursue my doctorate

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in anthropology at California Institute[br]for Integral Studies.

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Also, most importantly,[br]the ADA is instrumental in getting

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us disabled people the accessibility[br]to go into stores, restaurants,

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and other business establishments[br]to fully engage in society.

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I think our society needs to have enough[br]equity with disabled people's lives.

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We need equal access to housing,

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equal access to healthcare,

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and equal access to education.

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It's these we need free and available[br]to anyone who needs them,

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especially disabled people,[br]I think it will go a long way

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to improving the equity in society,[br]especially around disabled people.

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I think we all can join or support[br]disabled-led disability rights

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and disability justice organizations

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that are doing the work on improving[br]the lives of disabled people.

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I would focus on people of color-led[br]disabled organizations

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that focus on servicing people of color[br]disabled communities.

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We still and need to for the organize

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and for a better society[br]for disabled people,

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because we are not there yet.

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That we still need to organize[br]and advocate for a better society

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for disabled people,[br]because we are not there yet.