0:00:02.210,0:00:09.045
Hi, my name is Matthew Wangeman.

0:00:11.290,0:00:19.234
I teach Disability Studies[br]at Northern Arizona University.

0:00:35.970,0:00:38.413
I have been a disability advocate

0:00:44.066,0:00:45.590
for over 30 years.

0:00:59.107,0:01:11.611
I went to the University of California [br]at Berkeley,

0:01:24.424,0:01:30.851
so I have been very lucky in my life.

0:01:41.388,0:01:55.767
My first memory of the ADA

0:02:17.485,0:02:30.075
was three years after it was passed,

0:02:38.348,0:02:42.089
because I was in Berkeley

0:03:09.052,0:03:16.356
and Berkeley had stronger laws [br]than the ADA.

0:03:29.854,0:03:48.970
So I really did not know or care [br]about the ADA at that time.

0:04:12.203,0:04:20.837
And the interesting thing is

0:04:28.255,0:04:37.438
in Berkeley and in California

0:04:42.448,0:05:30.411
people with disabilities were talking [br]about how the ADA was less strong

0:05:34.963,0:05:50.989
for people with disabilities [br]in California and Berkeley.

0:05:57.894,0:06:07.465
So when I first learned about the ADA

0:06:10.072,0:06:28.781
I was living in an area that had stronger rules and regulations for people with disabilities than the ADA had put in.

0:06:32.935,0:06:43.851
So I did not care that much[br]about it at the time.

0:07:03.497,0:07:12.675
I think the ADA has helped with [br]accessibility

0:07:14.849,0:07:16.673
all around the United States.

0:07:24.080,0:07:39.889
That is to me probably one of [br]the most important things that the ADA has accomplished

0:08:25.037,0:08:31.546
I really think the ADA is [br]a great civil rights law

0:08:33.145,0:09:08.095
and it has put disability [br]on the map in this country.

0:09:16.276,0:09:19.334
But for people with [br]significant disabilities

0:09:23.821,0:09:31.638
the ADA has not done that much [br]in the grand scheme.

0:09:35.503,0:09:44.952
Like employment is a great example.

0:09:53.382,0:10:19.800
We are still at the same rate of [br]employment as before the ADA.

0:11:28.774,0:11:34.417
I think given where this country is today[br]the ADA could not be stronger.

0:11:36.856,0:12:01.426
In fact, given today the ADA [br]would not pass,

0:12:04.894,0:12:12.845
and that is sad.

0:12:26.882,0:12:45.220
I really think our education system needs[br]to be changed

0:13:04.337,0:13:31.280
and even though the ADA really [br]does not cover education, it should

0:13:40.355,0:14:16.923
In order to have people with disabilities [br]included in this society

0:14:16.939,0:14:35.732
they need to have a quality education

0:14:44.705,0:14:54.009
and special education is not cutting it.

0:14:57.908,0:15:07.642
So if I had my way,

0:15:26.138,0:15:29.495
I would throw out special education

0:15:46.275,0:15:51.426
and have one education system [br]for everyone.

0:15:55.795,0:16:07.328
It is stupid to have two

0:16:13.997,0:16:52.663
and to me it should be illegal to have a separate education system

0:16:55.114,0:17:21.734
I would have the ADA[br]cover education as well.

0:17:50.316,0:18:13.491
Just to really believe that people [br]with disabilities have the same rights as everyone else

0:18:20.397,0:18:32.268
and I'd like to say:

0:18:43.716,0:19:02.834
we can have all the laws in the world,

0:19:03.042,0:19:30.075
but if people's attitudes do not change, we are just spinning our wheels.

0:19:41.670,0:19:46.337
And I use a wheelchair.

0:19:57.521,0:20:12.176
And if my wheelchair just spins its wheels[br]I don't seem to go anywhere.