On the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we asked participants to share their stories about how the ADA has impacted their lives. Here are just a couple of those stories:
From John Trasvina:
When I worked as Senator Paul Simon’s counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in the 1980s and 1990s, he was instrumental in the passage of the disability access provisions of the Fair Housing Act and the full Americans with Disabilities Act. The most compelling memory I have is when members of the public who had disabilities would come to Washington D.C. to speak with staff or at hearings about the importance of these laws to their daily lives. In particular, representatives of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) who were afflicted with these illnesses would describe their daily challenges. Their courage and strength educated people in Washington and helped pass these laws. They should be remembered today as well as the political leaders who passed the bills and signed them into law.
From Nicky Trasvina:
When my kids were little we rented a funky old house at 46th and Taraval. It felt like the end of the world out there. But there was a highlight! On the corner stood The Bashful Bull Too, a large diner with huge plate windows that served excellent pancakes. Those pancakes were so delicious that my father enjoyed bringing us there almost every Sunday. Sometimes we were joined by my uncle or a family friend or two. We were a party of at least 6.
