25 years ago, July 26, 1990, on the White House lawn, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans With Disabilities Act after decades of struggle by activists and leaders in the disability community. In the summer and fall of 2015, Oral History and Folklife Research interviewed Mainers who were involved in or impacted by the disability rights movement to get their … [Read more...]
The ADA at 25
Ralph Poland
Because of the ADA, instead of being forced to be a shut in, I can participate and get back into life again, which helps me to have self-esteem, self-hope and encouragement to get out there and doing things, instead of staying home and thinking well, somebody else is going to do this for me.” Read the full interview … [Read more...]
Kathy McInnis-Misenor
“And then the roll call was starting to take, and you would see the lights, and once it hit the magic number, which we all know for passage, there was this (gasp). “Is it gonna hit? Make it sure. And suddenly it passes, and you could see some of the congresspeople, the representatives that worked on it just starting to get emotional, but they’re silent and going, “Oh my God!” … [Read more...]
Dennis Fitzgibbons
“I’ve never liked that term, “confined to a wheelchair.” I’ve tried to reverse that when I talk to people and say, I’m not confined to this chair. I would be really confined if I didn’t have the chair. I’m no more wheelchair bound than you are shoe bound. It helps me come and go. It helps me be productive. I’d really be bound if I didn’t have … [Read more...]
Jeremy Libby
"We have this unfortunate expectation as a culture that when you experience a significant injury that you kind of sign out from society. At fifteen, I hadn’t even signed in yet. I still hadn’t figured out what I was going to do at all. So, to have your entire future just feel like it was burned to the ground by an injury and then try to find a way to just live with that – no … [Read more...]