On the 35th Anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Disability Rights California (DRC) asked a wide range of our staff and friends and allies in the movement about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re heading.

Can you reflect on what you remember or have learned about life before the ADA? How did not having the ADA impact you and your lived experience prior to its passage, if you had any?

Mir Aminy, Project Rebound, Cal State Fullerton: I grew up in New York City before the ADA, and it was incredibly difficult. As a child, I often encountered inaccessible spaces, and at that time, there was no one to turn to when barriers got in the way. I had to learn how to navigate a world that was not built for me, even more so than today. Discrimination was common and often went unchecked, leaving people with disabilities without protection or recourse. Those early experiences shaped my understanding of why the ADA was, and still is, so necessary.

Andy Imparato, CEO of DRC: Before the ADA I remember that I did not think a lot about accessibility, the world was a lot less connected virtually since there was no internet and no smart phones, and people used to hang out and be more connected with each other in the real world. I had my first serious episode of depression in January of 1990 when the ADA was making its way through Congress and I had no idea that there was a new civil rights law in the works that would protect me against discrimination. I also had no idea that my depression would count as a disability and I had minimal disability awareness at that point in my life.

Desiree Delonia, Director of DEIA at DRC: I was a child when the ADA was signed, so I didn’t fully understand its impact until I entered adulthood. As a Black woman living with invisible disabilities, I’ve learned that while the law opened doors, it didn’t guarantee you’d be welcomed inside. Access wasn’t always equal, and for people who look like me, that gap is even wider.

Eric Harris, Executive Director of External Affairs at DRC: The Disability Rights Movement in a lot of ways began after World War II and then really picked up in a major way in the Bay Area in the 1970s. What I always get excited about when thinking about the early years of the movement is that the disability advocates teamed up with the Black Panthers in a major way to move forward disability rights. These two groups together made such a powerful movement.

Suzanna Gee, Supervising Senior Attorney at DRC: Back in law school before the passage of the ADA, I had a horrible car accident that caused me extreme back pain but I had to sit for long periods of time in the lectures-- sometimes sweating from the pain. It was hard to concentrate in class, to study, or take the exams. Had the ADA existed, I would have asked for an accommodation for extended time for exams, or be allowed generally to stand up during classes. Law school was definitely a challenge in more ways than one. 

Haben Girma, Disability Rights Advocate: As the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, I’m used to being a pioneer. But when it was time for me to sit for the California Bar Exam, I reveled in the glorious experience of not needing to fight for accessibility. They granted every accommodation I requested! Years before, blind test takers and their allies harnessed the power of the ADA to force the bar examiners to remove barriers. As I studied for the exam and then later passed it, my gratitude went out to the courageous advocates.

Raymond Kwong, Advocacy and Community Engagement Advocate at DRC: I was born in Hong Kong, came to the U.S. in 2000. As far as I remember, there was no ADA or equivalent in Hong Kong. A major difference I noticed was with education. I did not receive textbooks in alternative formats or Orientation and Mobility training until I came to the U.S. The ADA opened a lot of opportunities for Americans with disabilities to be independent and have access to services, myself included.

Conrad Crump, Senior Policy Advocate at DRC: I was just a kid when the ADA was passed, so I didn’t fully understand what it was all about until I was much older. What I do remember is how I internalized my struggles and attributed it to failure, especially as a Black kid navigating undiagnosed ADHD. Even as an older adult, I internalized my struggles associated with my ADHD, and that was compounded with the aftermath of a brain injury I survived. During these experiences, there were no accommodations, no language, just shame, hustle, and grit. I soon realized the world wasn’t built for folks like me, and without the ADA, I didn’t even know I had the right to ask for something better.

The ADA is a landmark piece of legislation, but it’s also considered a floor for disability access, rights, and inclusion, not a ceiling. What does progress beyond the ADA mean to you? 

EH: Progress beyond the ADA to me adds more strict requirements and enforcement.  Currently, the ADA is only enforced by lawsuits, and that is unfair for many in our community. I would also say that the disability movement needs to grow and expand to connect with other underrepresented groups to form an even stronger movement going forward.  

AI: For me it means making it easier for everyone to get the flexibility they need to perform their best at work, regardless of the reason why they need that flexibility. It means a transportation system that is safe and affordable and accessible for everyone. It means having technologies that are accessible from the moment they go to market, and it means making sure that artificial intelligence and other game-changing new technologies are not implemented in a manner that facilitates or exacerbates discrimination.

Elizabeth Campos, Disability Talent Liaison at DRC: A sign that the ADA is making progress will be when ALL Americans recognize that disability rights are human rights and not just protections for “those over there,” but safeguards that uphold dignity, equity, and freedom for everyone. Anyone can become disabled, so uplifting the importance of the ADA should not only be important to those of us who are disabled today, but anyone who is living in a human body. When more people begin to understand that fact, we know the ADA has made progress.

MA: The physical barriers and inaccessibility we can see are only part of the picture. Just as real but often overlooked are the invisible barriers: stigma, ableism, and discrimination. These are deeply felt by people with disabilities and continue to shape our daily lives. The ADA sets a crucial foundation, but it is only a starting point. Progress beyond the ADA means full inclusion of people with disabilities in all areas of society, not as an afterthought but as a fundamental and expected part of our communities.

RK: Universal Design. I think the goal is to have everything covered in the ADA be the standard, not the exception. Where people with disabilities can live their lives without concerns about if a venue is accessible, if the accessible restroom stall is large enough, if they can effectively communicate, or if the elevator is broken.

DD: Progress beyond the ADA means moving from compliance to culture shift. It means people with disabilities aren’t just accommodated, we’re centered, celebrated, and resourced. It’s about belonging, not just access. We need workplaces, schools, and systems that are built with us in mind, not retrofitted after the fact.

Sofia Vergara, Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy PULSE Unit Manager at DRC: Progress beyond the ADA means recognizing that laws alone don’t eliminate discrimination or ableism. As someone at the intersection of race, gender, and disability, I see how gaps in healthcare, education, and employment continue to leave people behind. We’re building on the work of incredible disability activists who came before us, and that means staying in the fight, even when it’s frustrating or slow. The goal is a world where we’re not constantly forced to advocate for our basic needs.

CC: Progress beyond the ADA means no longer needing to prove that we’re "disabled enough" to deserve access, respect, or support. It means honoring the full humanity of people with invisible disabilities and intersectional identities, especially in communities of color, particularly Black folks, who are too often left out of these conversations altogether. It’s not just about ramps and policies. It’s about rewriting the rules of who gets to be seen, who gets to be heard, and who gets to belong in these spaces.

What do you think the next piece of landmark legislation for disabled people in America should look like/must include?

Jude Stern, Supervising Advocate Specialist at DRC: Nationally, the next landmark legislation for disabled people must end the criminalization of homelessness and poverty. This is absolutely an intersectional issue that touches every marginalized community I can think of. That means halting devastating encampment sweeps, allowing people to rest in public spaces and redirecting funds away from the construct of for-profit locked institutions toward building truly affordable housing and peer-led voluntary, community-based services. These supports must be truly and meaningfully accessible by design and offered without coercion, creating a safety net that people can step into before a crisis creates a missed paycheck and becomes a full-blown catastrophe. This approach centers dignity, restores autonomy, and lays a real foundation for a way out of the cycle of forced institutionalization.

EH: The next piece of landmark legislation for disabled people in America must include policies and enforcement for updated technology, especially Artificial Intelligence.  Disabled people must be included and accessibility must be prioritized as AI is developing.  

AI: Clarity around technology accessibility, stronger requirements for accessibility on trains, airplanes, autonomous vehicles and ride shares, elimination of subminimum wage for any worker, stronger affirmative action requirements for government contractors at all levels of government, better communication access requirements, stronger emphasis on universal design, and better protections for people who experience more than one type of discrimination at once. 

SG: This is a big question. What came to mind immediately is that people with disabilities should be treated equally and without bias within the community. People with mental disabilities are mistreated and targeted. There’s long-standing historical stigma to having a mental disability. The service system is a clear example of that, as well as how the media portrays individuals with mental disabilities. We see legislation targeting individuals with mental disabilities if they are unhoused, cycling in and out of treatment or detention centers, charged with crimes, or found incompetent to stand trial.  

MA: This is a complex question that is difficult to answer in just a few sentences. One critical issue is the ongoing lack of enforcement of the original legislation. Even 35 years after its passage, we are still struggling to fully implement the Americans with Disabilities Act. Beyond that, the ADA does not address key issues like intersectionality. Disability is multidimensional, and the law fails to reflect the diversity of those it impacts. Economic justice is another major gap. Many disabled people live in poverty due to regulations that limit their ability to build wealth or achieve upward mobility. Too often, individuals are forced to choose between access to healthcare and the opportunity to gain financial stability. The next landmark legislation must focus on equity, not just equality, and ensure that people with disabilities have full access to both health and wealth.

RK: Living with disabilities is expensive. Assistive technology, making a home or vehicle accessible, durable medical equipment, etc. are all very expensive. Ideally in a perfect world, accessibility wouldn’t mean a rise in cost. I would like to see legislation that promotes access and independence, without breaking the bank.

DD: It must address economic justice, healthcare equity, and culturally competent care for multiply marginalized communities. It should expand disability definitions to reflect chronic illness, neurodivergence, and mental health, and prioritize disabled voices in decision-making. Most of all, it needs teeth: real enforcement, not just policy on paper.

CC: We need legislation that centers disability justice. We need legislation that guarantees access to culturally competent healthcare, mental health support, and workplace accommodations that are actually enforced, and not just optional. It should address the criminalization of disability, especially in Black and Brown communities, and dismantle the systems that treat us as disposable. Anything less than that is a miscarriage of justice.

In your lived experience what have been examples where you felt the impact of the ADA directly in positive ways, and what have been examples where the ADA has not been upheld in practice?

RK: The ADA has a lot of positive impacts in our everyday lives, such as curb cuts, audible traffic signals, and audio books, just to name a few. But it is not perfect, it is good if individuals are educated and can make this legislation work for them. I believe there needs to be more accountability enforcing the ADA, and the protections it’s said to provide.

CC: I have been on both sides of the coin. On one hand, I have benefited from accommodations like remote work and flexible scheduling, which allow me to show up fully while managing diabetes and cognitive fatigue. But on the other hand, I have also been in workplace settings where asking for those same accommodations got me labeled as unreliable, difficult and listed as someone whose performance needs improvement. The ADA gives us rights on paper, but if the culture doesn’t change, we’re still forced to choose between surviving and belonging.

AI: I think the ADA and the disability movement behind it gave me a language for describing my psychiatric disability in a way where it could be viewed as a natural part of human diversity and not inherently negative. In my experience, it is very hard to predict who will react negatively or inappropriately when I tell them I have bipolar disorder, but I don’t think that is something that a civil rights law can really control.

EH: I would say that I have generally felt it most in public transportation. I am a huge fan of public transportation and use it particularly in the Bay Area and in Washington, D.C. However, while it has been a huge benefit, there are still some gaps, such as elevators being out of service and spaces for disabled users in public transportation not being wide enough for multiple wheelchair users.  Many times, European and Asian Public Transportation are more consistent and better for disabled users.  

MA: As a higher education professional, I have seen firsthand the profound impact the ADA has had on college campuses. It has transformed higher education by requiring institutions to create more accessible learning environments, provide reasonable accommodations, and recognize disability as a civil rights issue rather than a personal burden. Because of the ADA, students with disabilities are now more visible in classrooms, supported by dedicated offices and services that aim to remove barriers to success. It has paved the way for disabled students to pursue degrees, careers, and leadership roles that were once out of reach. The ADA provides foundational protections for a group that has long been marginalized and excluded. It has helped bring attention to the ableism and discrimination that people with disabilities have endured for generations. However, the law is still not fully upheld in key areas such as employment, housing, and access to independent living. Discrimination in the workforce and barriers to opportunity continue to limit the full inclusion of disabled people in society.

What do you hope for the next 35 years of the ADA and disability rights?

EH: I hope that disabled leaders are the ones who design the next wave of disability policy at all levels of government.  I hope that the people who put these policies together think carefully about all underrepresented groups and ensuring that enforcement is a huge part of the policy moving forward.

AI: I hope that the world will embrace human rights for all people, that disabled people will be proud and out with their disabilities and their other identities, that we will have more elected and appointed officials with strong disability identities, and that we will become a party to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and work with countries across the globe to learn from each other and keep getting better at disability justice.

CC: I hope the next 35 years feels less like a fight to be believed, and I hope people with invisible disabilities like mine will be better understood. When we see someone with a visible disability, we’re often quick to offer accommodations. Yet when a person’s disability isn’t apparent, we assume the person is fine, and if they struggle, we blame them instead of the lack of support. I want my daughters to live in a world where disability isn’t something to hide or overcome, but something to understand, support, and embrace as part of the human story. Ultimately, I want the movement to be Blacker, braver, and bolder than ever, and I also want people with invisible disabilities like me to not just survive, but thrive!

RK: If the ADA is enforced and everyone has equity and equality, then there will be no need for agencies like Disability Rights California. I won’t have a job.

Ken Datugan, Deaf Community Advocate at DRC: I hope to see an increase of autonomy for individuals with disability, especially for those who are Deaf and hard of hearing, Deafblind, Deaf disabled and late deafness folks that reflect in their employment wages, job options, and educational opportunities and ultimately leads them to greater pursuit of their happiness. May the next 35 years of ADA pave an unapologetic space and embracing for individuals with disability to be able to cultivate a fruitful life and to support their mobility in all spaces they enter.

MA: I would like to see the full incorporation of people with disabilities into every part of mainstream society. Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and we need to stop treating it as something abnormal or separate. In the next 35 years, I hope to see more authentic representation of disabled people in media, greater access to meaningful employment opportunities, and broader recognition of the value and richness that people with disabilities bring to the arts, education, and society as a whole. True inclusion means embracing disability as an essential part of our collective identity.

DD: I hope for a future where disabled folks, especially Black, Brown, and queer disabled people, lead and thrive. I want my daughter to grow up in a world where disability isn’t a footnote but part of the full story. I hope we stop asking “What do you need to be included?” and instead start building spaces with us already in them.