The “Capital Crawl” protest of March 13, 1990 demonstrated on a national level, barriers to accessibility for individuals with disabilities.  On this day, people as young as eight years old abandoned their mobility aids and crawled up the capitol steps in Washington, D.C. Disability Pride Month highlights the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on July 26, 1990 by George H.W. Bush and reminds us of the contributions of so many such as Judith Heumann, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, James LeBrecht, and Lex Fieden in the forward progress for those with disabilities.

The ADA is a continuation of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which includes section 504 that banned discrimination on the basis of disability and applied to organizations receiving federal funds as well as the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) of 1975 that mandated “free appropriate public education” in the “least restrictive setting.” The purpose of the ADA was to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government programs and services. Despite its intentions, however, the act was interpreted narrowly and required the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA) of 2008 to more broadly define disability itself.

As we celebrate Disability Pride Month, may we take the time to recognize the unique viewpoint that each individual brings to the table and how we can improve the care of our patients and families at Children’s of Alabama by removing barriers to care. These steps can be as simple as providing stepstools in clinic rooms to increase independence when getting on our exam tables, having wheelchair accessible scales to obtain accurate weights for each patient, having automatic doors that allow families to more easily enter and exit common care areas within the hospital. May we continue to elevate what is “possible” in a world that is filled with “impossible.”

For more information, please consider  books such as “ All the Way To the Top,”  “Enabling Acts: The Hidden Story of How the Americans with Disabilities Act Gave the Largest U.S. Minority Its Rights,” and the documentaries such as “ Crip Camp,“ and “The Gang of 19.”

- Cynthia Wozow, D.O., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine