I'm Art Blaser from Orange, California
South of Los Angeles.
And the first question had to do with
my background and how I became aware
of the ADA, Disability association
In my case, although I had some knowledge before,
not a lot less than most people,
til I became disabled,
Which was in 1983, I had a brain stem stroke
and became disabled and a full time
wheelchair user today.
and I would say that
the issues of disability
I confronted
a big one was access to my home
and a simple one was access to my job.
One seemingly trivial
matter that was a major concern
was curb cuts in my neighborhood.
In theory, under the ADA,
they were supposed to be in place,
but were not, in practice, until 1995.
They are today, which I think is
emblematic of the impact of the ADA.
The spirit of the ADA
Would be a combination of talking
to the public about their needs
and eventually Orange, where I lived,
had curb cuts at the corners, which meant
it was possible for me to live.
Access to
buildings and being able to continue
teaching with the aid of computerized
voice were very important
in continuing to teach.
It's the kind of thing that
wouldn't exist decades ago.
California law reinforces
the spirit of the ADA.
We see the ADA do good things
and some things that don't work
just about every day that they
try to get access to different buildings.
This shouldn't be happening,
but in fact it is
If people are motivated,
eventually things change and adapt.
I teach
at Chapel University, since 1981,
so before the ADA.
When I became disabled, I noticed
a lot of the affects through teaching
about disabilities, while having students
who actually grew up knowing
that the ADA existed.
They're the so-called "ADA generation"
Which makes a big difference
People are claiming disability and trying
to make the world a better place.
And, in many cases, they're successful
and in some cases, not.
I think there's a desire
to understand the reason for it.
I think
The spirit of the ADA helps in making the
world a better place, usually. A challenge
we'll face in the future that is
developing now will be ensuring that the
catastrophic effects of COVID-19 do not
recur. The high death rate
in nursing homes needs to be of
concern to everyone, and we need to do
better at providing opportunities to live
in the community rather than in congregate
The Olmstead case was very important in
establishing the right to live in the
community under the ADA, and independent
living centers are playing important
roles in people moving from nursing homes
to the community. In Orange County, I've
been privileged to serve as a board
member of the County's Independent
Living Center, the Dayle McIntosh Center.
This needs to be a priority, not only in
the US but also everywhere that is
experiencing high death rates in nursing
homes. Another factor is the large number
now particularly younger people who are
testing positive for COVID-19 but
recovering at a higher risk for stroke and
multiple sclerosis. Members of the
disability community are well-versed in
demonstrating that a high quality of life
is possible, and society and government
need to provide support that makes this
possible.
The most important steps involve education
broadly conceived. Beginning in child care
people are aware of human differences and
education continues throughout
the lifespan not only to schools but also
through religious organizations and
entertainment media. Increasing
visibility of disabled people, expressed
through different organizations, is
invaluable. Colleges and universities play
an important role, especially when they
value input from disability organizations
and learned experiences of disabled people
Projects such as the Disability Visibility
Project help in publicizing disabled
voices and colleges and universities
can help by calling attention to those
voices rather than trying to offer
expertise in how others should live.