I'm Art Blaser in 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.

That although curb cuts were in theory

supposed to be in place

by 1995, in practice, they weren't.

They are today, which I think is

emblematic of the impact of the ADA.

As of now we've got things

to the time but,

The spirit of the ADA

was the confrontation of

people being 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

about five blocks from campus.

I had improvements and accommodations

which included a computerized voice

that makes it possible to teach.

The kinds of things that

wouldn't have existed decades ago.

Fortunately, in California as a professor

I was able to take advantage of

good state laws.

But I think they're being forced by

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.

and quite often the experiences

of other people say

this shouldn't be happening,

but in fact it is.

But the big difference is

is that If people were motivated,

eventually things change and adapt.

I've noticed it most

in education.

I teach

at Chapel University, since 1981,

so before the ADA.

When I was not disabled I taught it there

I noticed a lot of the affects through

teaching disabilities, at least.

and I've had 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.

But there are reasons for it

and I think there's a desire

to understand the reasons.

I think they want to

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.