The Living Legends: How ADA Champions Continue Shaping Access

Personal stories make the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) real. They show how this law shapes daily life and why it still matters.

That’s why I turned to the living legends. These are just some of the voices of movement-makers, storytellers, and strategists. Some helped shape the ADA. Others carry its promise forward every day. All of them are living proof that the ADA is alive, evolving, and urgent.

Their voices aren’t just history. They are momentum, and they are the future.

We invited each living legend contributor to share how the ADA has shaped their work and how things have or haven't changed since the ADA was passed.

Anita Cameron 

Disability justice activist

The Americans with Disabilities Act had a great impact on my life. I was able to use lift-equipped public transit to go to my new job and get around my city, go back to school, eat out, go to the movies, and go anywhere non-disabled people could go.

I was born in 1965 into a world where, as a Black person, I had no rights. They would soon be enacted after I was born, but I have clear memories of racial discrimination as a small child.

I was born with multiple disabilities in a time when disabled children had no right to an education. The Ugly Laws were in effect and wouldn’t be repealed until I was 9 years old.

I was lucky. Early on, I was determined to be gifted and mainstreamed from preschool through university. When I was ten years old, the law that would eventually become the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) came into effect, and I was given all accommodations. When I entered high school, I was told that my accommodations would end because I was gifted, so I didn’t need them. In university, I wasn’t given accommodations, but I managed to graduate with a near-perfect GPA. In medical school, I wasn’t given accommodations and was asked to “find another career path.”

I joined the disability rights movement and the American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT) in 1986, at the age of 21. I participated in the Capitol Crawl and was one of 104 people arrested in the Rotunda takeover the next day.

While I fought for, and am grateful for the ADA, I never forget that it is the floor, not the ceiling. Disabled people still don’t have a civil right to live in freedom in our communities.

Keith Jones

President, SoulTouchin' Experiences

Yes, I lived before the ADA was passed. I was 21 at the signing of the ADA. Up until that point, having protections and access was never guaranteed. The ADA is significant in terms of protection rights and opportunities—most of which did not exist prior to the signing. The ADA Title that had the most impact … on my life was Title 1, which impacted my ability to be employed. This provision made it possible post-graduation to pursue employment.

Day Al-Mohamed

Former White House Director of Disability Policy

As someone with an acquired disability, growing up, I never fully understood the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But after I lost my vision, I came to understand its significant impact. The ADA was about leveling the playing field, promoting accessibility, and ensuring that people with disabilities could have full participation in all parts of society—employment, communication, transportation, and public spaces.

It’s also why I was proud to work for passage of the ADA Amendments Act to ensure that the definition of disability was clear and to maintain the protections against discrimination based on disability.

The ADA has never been about special rights or benefits but about an equal chance at the American Dream.

Rev. Chris Wylie

United Methodist Ordained Elder, Crip Punk Musician and Activist

I’ve lived and worked both prior and after the ADA, and the difference is vast. Many people think accommodations are big, expensive things. That’s generally not true. ADA accommodations are generally about awareness, access, and caring—whether it’s flexibility of scheduling or an office chair that costs a few extra dollars; both of which I’ve needed. I’m grateful for the ADA and the many ways it fosters inclusion.

Dr. Donna R. Walton

Founder, Divas With Disabilities Project

Based on my values and the work I'm doing with Divas with Disabilities, Title I of the ADA—which focuses on employment—feels especially resonant. I've consistently championed visibility, empowerment, and inclusivity, and Title I is all about breaking down barriers in the workplace for people with disabilities.

My advocacy and storytelling amplify how critical it is for disabled individuals to have equal access to professional opportunities, not just in policy but in practice. Whether I'm shaping narratives through my acting or collaborating on the documentary, I'm living proof of what Title I strives to protect: the right to be seen, heard, and valued in every professional space.

I was living when the ADA passed, and I remember clearly what life felt like before it existed. The biggest difference I've experienced since its passing is visibility—and not just being seen, but being acknowledged, respected, and included.

Before the ADA, there was this quiet but powerful message that disability wasn't supposed to be part of the mainstream narrative. Access wasn’t guaranteed. Representation was rare. And if you were fighting for something—basic rights, space to work, or simply acknowledgment—it often felt like shouting into the void.

Vince Staskel

Admin/Publicist, Trained Actors with Real Disabilities for Film & TV

As an ADA Consultant and disability rights advocate, I have worked within Title II Public Services, making our city and county transportation systems ADA compliant. I have also made our county's buildings and programs more accessible under Title III Public Accommodations.

Since then, I have concentrated on making the entertainment industry more inclusive and accessible to our disabled talent.

The biggest differences I have seen with the passing of the ADA is a more general acceptance of disabled people in society. We are more involved in the community through both increased physical accommodations and a decrease in attitudinal barriers with our participation in our community.

Tari Hartman Squire

CEO, EIN SOF Communications, Inc.

The Valuable 500 estimates the annual purchasing power of the disability community (plus allies, friends and family) is $13 trillion. When the ADA was stalled in Congress by business, we designed our disability strategic marketing campaign and US Capitol Hill screening for the movie My Left Foot to prove the ADA was an unprecedented marketing opportunity and not a legislative burden. The film went on to win numerous awards, including Academy Awards. Much to the production company's credit, if disability leaders reported a theater was not wheelchair accessible, they yanked the movie from that theater. That strategy was also successful with other disability marketing campaigns.

Disability power and pride—increasingly so, people with disabilities are taking back the narrative to name it, frame it, and claim it—in the workplace, marketplace, and communities across America and around the world. Building alliances with other multiply marginalized groups, and taking back the narrative in media—together, we are stronger and will go farther.

The Legacy Lives On

Today’s disability leaders are building on the legends before. From Jim LeBrecht, Oscar-nominated filmmaker and co-director of Crip Camp, whose storytelling brought the roots of the ADA to a global audience, to Keith Jones, Emmy Award–winning artist, and activist. These are people with lived experiences. They are living proof that the ADA is not only a law, but also an access requirement that removes barriers for all people to have the same opportunities.