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I'm Art Blaser in Orange, California

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South of Los Angeles.

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And the first question had to do with

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my background and how I became aware

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of the ADA, Disability association

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In my case, [br]although I had some knowledge before,

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not a lot less than most people,

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til I became disabled,

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Which was in 1983, [br]I had a brain stem stroke

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and became disabled and a full time

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wheelchair user today.

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and I would say that

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the issues of disability

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I confronted

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a big one was access to my home

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and a simple one was access to my job.

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That although curb cuts were in theory

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supposed to be in place

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by 1995, in practice, they weren't.

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They are today, which I think is

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emblematic of the impact of the ADA.

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As of now we've got things

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to the time but,

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The spirit of the ADA

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was the confrontation of

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people being public about their needs

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and eventually Orange, where I lived,

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had curb cuts at the corners, which meant

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it was possible for me to live

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about five blocks from campus.

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I had improvements and accommodations

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which included a computerized voice

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that makes it possible to teach.

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The kinds of things that

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wouldn't have existed decades ago.

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Fortunately, in California as a professor

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I was able to take advantage of

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good state laws.

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But I think they're being forced by

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the spirit of the ADA.

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We see the ADA do good things

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and some things that don't work

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just about every day that they

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try to get access to different buildings.

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and quite often the experiences

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of other people say

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this shouldn't be happening,

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but in fact it is.

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But the big difference is

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is that If people were motivated,

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eventually things change and adapt.

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I've noticed it most

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in education.

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I teach

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at Chapman University, since 1981,

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so before the ADA.

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When I was not disabled I taught it there

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I noticed a lot of the affects through

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teaching disabilities, at least.

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and I've had students

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who actually grew up knowing

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that the ADA existed.

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They're the so-called "ADA generation"

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Which makes a big difference

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People are claiming disability and trying

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to make the world a better place.

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And, in many cases, they're successful

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and in some cases, not.

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But there are reasons for it

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and I think there's a desire

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to understand the reasons.

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I think they want to

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The spirit of the ADA helps in making the

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world a better place, usually. A challenge

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we'll face in the future that is

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developing now will be ensuring that the

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catastrophic effects of COVID-19 do not

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recur. The high death rate

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in nursing homes needs to be of

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concern to everyone, and we need to do

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better at providing opportunities to live

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in the community rather than in congregate

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The Olmstead case was very important in

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establishing the right to live in the

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community under the ADA, and independent

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living centers are playing important

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roles in people moving from nursing homes

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to the community. In Orange County, I've

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been privileged to serve as a board

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member of the County's Independent

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Living Center, the Dayle McIntosh Center.

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This needs to be a priority, not only in

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the US but also everywhere that is

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experiencing high death rates in nursing

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homes. Another factor is the large number

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now particularly younger people who are

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testing positive for COVID-19 but

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recovering at a higher risk for stroke and

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multiple sclerosis. Members of the

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disability community are well-versed in

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demonstrating that a high quality of life

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is possible, and society and government

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need to provide support that makes this

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possible.

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The most important steps involve education

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broadly conceived. Beginning in child care

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people are aware of human differences and

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education continues throughout

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the lifespan not only to schools but also

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through religious organizations and

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entertainment media. Increasing

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visibility of disabled people, expressed

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through different organizations, is

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invaluable. Colleges and universities play

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an important role, especially when they

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value input from disability organizations

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and learned experiences of disabled people

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Projects such as the Disability Visibility

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Project help in publicizing disabled

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voices and colleges and universities

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can help by calling attention to those

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voices rather than trying to offer

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expertise in how others should live.