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, I had limited 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

wheel chair user today.

included access to my home

and 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 there,

but were not until 1997.

The spirit of the ADA, of equal access,

was something broader than the practices

but very important in bringing about the

that meant so much to me. Access to

buildings and being able to continue

teaching with the aid of computerized

assistive technology were very important

in my continuing to work at Chapman

University, where I've worked since 1981.

This wouldn't have been possible decades

ago. Colleagues also became more aware of

inequities and realized: “this isn’t

supposed to happen." I've been

privileged to coordinate Chapman's

Disability Studies minor, and to become

familiar with the so called “ADA

generation” of students who grew up with

the ADA. As with California law, realizing

the spirit is more likely when people act.

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.