July 26, 2020, commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, arguably the most broad-reaching civil rights legislation since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For decades before the ADA, people with disabilities — all 61 million of us, who exist in one-third of households — were institutionalized, kept hidden out of shame, and isolated from society because of a lack of access. The legislation protected us from discrimination and increased our participation in public life.
The above excerpt was originally published in Refinery 29.
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