Reflecting on the 36th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
by Robert Thomas Jr.
It’s truly amazing that Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) has been around for 80 years, with one of its core missions being to fight for equal rights of people living with disabilities. It’s because of disability rights groups such as PVA that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed July 26, 1990, just 36 years ago.
In 1990, I recall being stationed in Korea when then-U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle came and spoke about the law’s passage. During that time, no one there really understood the impact the law would have, seeing that we all were young, lean, mean fighting machines.
Now, if we fast forward just a bit to 1991, I had a completely different outlook on the passing of the ADA, as I sustained a cervical spinal cord injury, which began my journey as a quadriplegic. Living with a disability really opened my eyes to understanding the law’s importance. The ADA ensures individuals with mental and physical impairments such as myself are treated without discrimination in the workforce, transportation system and public areas, such as restaurants, hotels, doctors’ offices and retail stores. Without this law, it would make maneuvering through the world almost impossible.
I’ve been navigating through the world in my powerchair for 35 years, and I, of course, notice all of the impacts the ADA has made and continues to make. And PVA continues to work on helping making society more accessible for individuals with all different abilities. Take the PVA Architecture Department, for example. They work tirelessly with companies on making sure buildings have the proper protocols in place for wheelchair users. Since 2001, PVA has awarded major venues and facilities our Barrier-Free America Award, which recognizes places that boost independence for mobility-impaired parties and spread the model of equal access as a civil right.
In May in Las Vegas, we presented the 2026 award to Allegiant Stadium, the Las Vegas Stadium Authority and the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders for the stadium’s outstanding infrastructure that makes it comfortable for individuals with disabilities to attend games and concerts. This award helps PVA’s mission of spreading awareness of the major importance of having readily available accessibility for all individuals.
The ADA’s 36th anniversary also reminds me of the importance of our advocacy and pushing forward equal access into law. This past June, the PVA Government Relations Department held our annual Advocacy/Legislation Seminar to help our chapter members work with their local congressional representatives to let them know the significance of disability and veterans’ issues. It’s advocacy like this that helped us get where we are today. But of course, all of us know there’s still so much work that needs to be done before we can say our mission at PVA is fulfilled. Participation is what gets attention, and that is how PVA has gotten where it is today.
I encourage everyone to try and participate at the local level. Get in touch with your local representatives, let them know if something isn’t ADA compliant or work with local businesses to inform them that they could do better. Spreading awareness is what helps make positive changes, and I encourage all members and individuals to speak up if you see something that isn’t up to standards. It may help the next person who comes along. All PVA members have experience with inaccessible places. Let’s try to work on making sure there are very few incidences of this in the future.
To read more about this year’s Barrier-Free America Award, read Accessibility Abounds on page 20. For more on this year’s Advocacy/Legislation Seminar, read Pushing Access Forward in the June issue of PN.