It's Getting Better All The Time

Pervasive Parenting

By Kodey Toney

It's Getting Better All The Time

Sunday morning I woke up early, after several episodes with the snooze button, and along with the family, made the three-hour drive to Oklahoma City to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I'm extremely glad that I did. Besides the fact that I got to see many friends I also got to see the true spirit behind the ADA. That is the hard working advocates that make the ADA worthwhile.

Among the more than 100 volunteers and walkers there were family members, lawyers, social workers, friends, and self-advocates. These are the people that work tirelessly to make sure that themselves and others are protected by this act.

You see, this is nothing more than words on paper if we don't do our share to make sure that others are following the laws and rules set forth on that day 25 years ago when President George H.W. Bush signed it into law.

This has been a tremendous help to those of us coping with disabilities. It has given us some ground to stand on when trying to get equality in schools, work, and home. We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

We still have employers who do not believe in giving a chance to those with disabilities. We have store owners and operators who don't feel they need to do what is right to accommodate those with disabilities. And, we still have educators and administrators who feel they don't need to make accommodations and changes for inclusion.

While this walk was as much a celebration of a great act put into place a quarter century ago, it is just as much a celebration of those who fight every day to make sure others are keeping up their end of things. The light keepers if you will of a beacon that started well over those 25 years ago.

It's also a reminder that we have more work to do, but as long as we have great people like those who organized and participated in this near triple-digit heat then I am satisfied that everything will continue to get better.