The Americans with Disabilities Act is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, however agencies believe there is still work to be done to protect those with disabilities.
25 years ago the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, prohibiting the discrimination of those with disabilities both mental and physical. The ADA is what allows for there to be ramp access to buildings and extra time on exams allotted to students who suffer from ADHD. John Pribanic, the CEO and President of The Diversity Initiative says that a lot of the physical needs of those with disabilities have been met.
“In terms of what the ADA has done, it has eliminated a lot of physical barriers to individuals, access to shopping plazas, all of that good stuff, " says Pribanic. "So the physical piece has definitely looked after.”
Pribanic also says that the preconceived attitudes some individuals hold about those with disabilities needs to change in order to move forward.
“Frankly, they may have needs that are different from you and I but they aren’t different, they aren’t special, they aren’t less than an able-bodied person would be, so I think the ADA could do a lot more, socially, in terms of attitudes and acceptance and inclusiveness, as opposed to just access.”
State and community leaders will gather at the Tallahassee city commission office on July 24th to celebrate the anniversary, along with other disability agencies.