by Donna Fredericksen
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Oklahoma City Memorial Room was filled to capacity on July 15, 2004. Representatives from numerous federal agencies and their divisions of civil rights were there to celebrate the 14th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with a special program entitled Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. The program also included the presentation of the Universal Accessible Transportation Award by Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.
A long metal ramp provided access to the dais lined with speakers and honore e s including Secretary Mineta, Michael Winter, Director of the Office of Civil Rights, Federal Transit Administration, Patrisha A. Wright, Director of Government Affairs for the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, and James Weisman, United Spinal Association ‘s General Counsel. Strategically placed on the dais was what many regard as an endearing symbol of the international disability rights movement-the late Justin Dart’s hat. With sign language interpreters in place, the speeches began and all included special recognition of accomplishments, poignant anecdotes, along with kind word s of remembrance for those no longer present to witness the fruits of their labor.
In his speech, Secretary Mineta recalled his exposure to life with a disability. It was after he was elected to Mayor of San Jose when a friend with a mobility disability asked him to spend his first week in office in a wheelchair. The week turned out to be a life changing experience for Mineta, witnessing first hand the frustrations due to the lack of accessibility. Motivated, Mineta’s community was the first to install curb cuts and, as a member of Congress, he helped guide the ADA to its final passage. “Patrons [because of the ADA] who had been turned away, are now welcome; barriers that were once impassible are now level; and discrimination once tolerated is now illegal,” said Mineta. “The Americans with Disabilities Act has helped unleash the skills and the talent and the creativity of people for whom the word ‘quit’ has no meaning. We gather here not only to mark the passage of this important law, but also to thank the people who were so instrumental in making it a reality. ”
In presenting the Universal Accessible Transportation Award to Weisman and Wright, Secretary Mineta referred to them as two very inspirational speakers, people who are very powerful in their own right and who played a major part in the passage of the ADA. He thanked them “for all the work you did when it was so critical.”
As many members of United Spinal know, James (Jim) Weisman has been General Counsel for our Association for over 25 years. Since graduating from Seton Hall University Law School in 1977, he has represented people with disabilities and their organizations in order to enhance the quality of their lives and to protect and promote their civil rights. In 1991, he was appointed to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee to promulgate a regulation implementing the ADA. He was a key negotiator with then-Congressman Mineta and other members of Congress in drafting and supporting the passage of the ADA. In March 1996, President Clinton appointed him to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Board (Access Board) . In July 1995, he became a member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of People with Disabilities and in 2003 was elected Chairman of the Board. Ms. Patrisha A.Wright has served as Director of Government Affairs for the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) in
Washington, DC since 1979. She was widely acknowledged as “the General” who coordinated the campaign to enact the landmark ADA. Among her many accomplishments on behalf of the disabled community, Wright was a driving force in the campaign to halt the deregulation of Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act in the early 1980s; the regulations later set the stage for the ADA. She also worked to secure enactment of the Handicapped Children’s Protection Act of 1986 and amendments to the Fair Housing Act, which, for the first time, banned discrimination against people with disabilities by landlords, and established the accessibility and adaptability principles for multi-family dwellings. Wright also represented disability concerns in a coalition of civil rights groups working for the passage of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987.
At the conclusion of the program, all gathered to enjoy the refreshments and camaraderie the moment provided . Observing the crowd, and realizing how many disabilities were re presented, one could not help but be overwhelmed by the fact that the basic rights of each and every person there would not have been respected without the ADA. Their jobs, public transportation, their homes, restaurants, theaters, and the stores they frequent would not be accessible and the contributions it allows to all Americans would never have been realized without the ADA. It was truly a celebration.
Donna Fredericksen is Director of Public Affairs.
