Whether it’s a problem with a school, health care provider or insurance company, recreational program, or even a city sidewalk, U.S. laws are strong and provide ample means of rights enforcement. Leading up to passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, Congress recognized that children and adults with disabilities have historically been marginalized, if not institutionalized. The “medical model” of disability had governed for decades, focusing on medical needs, “cures,” and other non-rights-based notions. The passage of the ADA signaled the modern era – an era of empowerment and self-determination, in which people with disabilities are treated with respect and dignity and afforded enforceable rights to live independently and on their own terms. We all deserve nothing less.

Whether it’s a problem with a school, health care provider or insurance company, recreational program, or even a city sidewalk, U.S. laws are strong and provide ample means of rights enforcement. Leading up to passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, Congress recognized that children and adults with disabilities have historically been marginalized, if not institutionalized. The “medical model” of disability had governed for decades, reducing folks with disabilities to the pitied who needed to be taken care of, cured, or put in a home. The passage of the ADA signaled the modern era – a rights-based model under which people with disabilities are treated with respect and dignity, and afforded enforceable rights to live independently and on their own terms.