Hi, I am Lateef McLeod,
and I am a PhD candidate at the anthropology and social change program
at California Institute for Integral Studies,
and also the Vice President of the LEAD committee
at the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
I am also a published poet with two books out,
"A Declaration of a Body of Love"
and "Whispers of Krip Love Shouts of Krip Revolution."
I am also writing on a novel entitled "The Third Eye Is Crying."
The first memory I have of disability discrimination or ableism
is when I was at Marine World as a child,
and I wanted to play on this big play structure jungle
that they had, but I could not climb the rope slides
to enter the play structure.
This is my first vivid memory that I couldn't do things that other kids did,
and I had a feeling of being left out.
This feeling of being left out has followed me throughout my life
as I observe that our society and culture
is more accessible for temporary able-bodied people
and not disabled people.
The ADA has been a big difference in my life.
Without its passing, I wouldn't be able to obtain my educational degrees
like my Bachelor's in English from UC Berkeley
and my Master's of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Mills College.
I also would not be able to currently pursue my doctorate
in anthropology at California Institute for Integral Studies.
Also, most importantly, the ADA is instrumental in getting
us disabled people the accessibility to go into stores, restaurants,
and other business establishments to fully engage in society.
I think our society needs to have enough equity with disabled people's lives.
We need equal access to housing,
equal access to healthcare,
and equal access to education.
It's these we need free and available to anyone who needs them,
especially disabled people, I think it will go a long way
to improving the equity in society, especially around disabled people.
I think we all can join or support disabled-led disability rights
and disability justice organizations
that are doing the work on improving the lives of disabled people.
I would focus on people of color-led disabled organizations
that focus on servicing people of color disabled communities.
We still and need to for the organize
and for a better society for disabled people,
because we are not there yet.
That we still need to organize and advocate for a better society
for disabled people, because we are not there yet.