Get some insight on how the American Disabilities Act was put into action by a little help from Joni. It’s the anniversary today of the law passing back in 1990. What a blessing that ADA standards are everywhere now for people living with disabilities!
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a fun story about the ADA.
I’m not big on acronyms, but it’s a fact that most people know that ADA stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act which was passed into law back in 1990. And today is the anniversary of the signing of the ADA and it all can be summed up in one word: Access. Creating access for people with disabilities in America. And it’s true that I played a small role in educating members of Congress about the need for the ADA. Ramps into museums and restaurants, government buildings. Opening access to jobs for qualified Americans with disabilities. Mechanical lifts on buses, and more. I worked hard to wake people up to the need. I spoke to national organizations like Habitat for Humanity, for one. I gave a speech at their international conference [Habitat back then was using old building codes in constructing their houses and low-income communities]. And so, I’m thinking to myself, “How can I excite these Habitat builders about the new codes? I don’t want to bore these people. I want them to buy into the new changes on the horizon.”
So! I had an idea for my message that I borrowed from Martin Luther King Jr. I wheeled onto the international stage of the Habitat for Humanity conference, stopped in front of the microphone, and smiled, “I have a dream. In my wheelchair? I have a dream that doors in our homes will one day be 36 inches wide. I have a dream…” People got my drift and started cheering, “I have a dream of grab bars in bathrooms and guard rails on stairs. I have a dream that one day all people will gather together, young and old, to refresh themselves at lowered drinking fountains.” By this time, the crowd was on their feet, applauding and whistling. “I have a dream, yes, that ramps built by Habitat for Humanity will have a 5° incline for every inch of rise. Yes! I have a dream that outlets for light switches will be set between 15 and 48 inches from the floor!”
You know, they only gave me about 15 minutes to speak, but what can I say – I think a lot was accomplished, judging from the applause. At the close, people were enthusiastic about adopting the new ADA codes. You know, there is a lesson in all of this. Because to be honest, I was a little hesitant of borrowing from Martin Luther King Jr. I was almost fearful of such a large conference. But be anxious for nothing, God says, because Proverbs 16:21 assures us that, “Pleasant words promote instruction.” Another translation says, “Gracious words promote instruction.” And that is what happened that day at the conference, praise the Lord.
You know, it’s been exactly 34 years since the ADA became law. And we’ve come a long way since the days when people in wheelchairs like me had to wheel down back alleys, past dumpsters, into side doors of restaurants, through a busy kitchen, to finally reach our table. My friend who is blind can walk into a museum now with her service dog. Children with autism have access to special education programs. But building codes and regulations cannot change people’s attitudes. Only the gospel of Christ can transform the heart and character of individuals and of this nation. Because there’s a higher law than the ADA, the law of love that embraces “the lame and the blind” as image-reflectors of God. The heart of the ADA is about relationships. It’s about love. And you can’t legislate that. And those are your hope-filled words for today.
© Joni and Friends