The ADA at 30: Celebrating the Breaking Down of Barriers & Expanding Inclusion

Thirty years ago, on July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). At the signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, President Bush gracefully summarized the law’s intent: “Together we must remove the physical barriers we have created and the social barriers that we have accepted,” the president said. “For ours will never be a truly prosperous nation until all within it prosper.”

A significant milestone and critical step for the advancement of civil rights in the United States, the ADA established a comprehensive national mandate that discrimination against those with disabilities would not be tolerated. In doing so, it set the stage for their fuller inclusion in American life. Indeed, this landmark legislation, which transformed the lives of millions of Americans, was a vital step forward in the ongoing effort to extend our nation’s full promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to a population that was far too often overlooked when it came to employment and educational opportunities.

But it wasn’t only Americans with disabilities who benefited. In reality, the ADA was a gain for all of us. In extending the promise of American life to those with disabilities, the ADA changed our perceptions, as Americans came to more fully appreciate just how much this population had to offer.

The business community certainly knows this is true. Thanks to the ADA, a large and willing number of our fellow citizens who had previously lacked opportunities soon entered the workplace. It’s hard to imagine now just how much untapped human potential there was in that community. But once given a chance, these workers proved themselves by bringing new insights, ideas, and energy to the workplace.

At the NCUA, the regulatory agency I head, we are leading the way in creating an inclusive environment, a goal we continually strive toward. Through our leadership, we can model a commitment to diversity that others can follow as we work to fully satisfy the ADA’s goals.

For example, the NCUA hosted a meaningful webinar conversation on July 23 on the importance of financial inclusion for persons with disabilities and the 30th anniversary of the ADA. During the webinar, Michael Morris, director of the National Disability Institute; Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, president of RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization that works to advance opportunities for people with disabilities; and I discussed how organizations can expand their efforts to ensure that the disabled have equal access to opportunities and resources. Having an inclusive work environment for all employees and ensuring equal access to the 12.2% of our staff who report having a disability are top priorities for us at the NCUA.

And while we’re proud of our efforts to provide our employees with disabilities with the support they need to perform, we are always seeking ways to do better and continuously break down those barriers, to paraphrase President Bush.

That commitment is particularly important when it comes to financial inclusion, which I believe is the civil rights issue of our time. Indeed, financial inclusion must be a top priority for the financial services industry if we hope to address the inequities and injustices that continue to plague our society. And part of that discussion should be focused on ways we can improve financial inclusion for Americans with disabilities, and ways we can break down the barriers that have excluded them from access to quality, affordable financial services.

Finally, we should reflect on the passage and signing of the ADA as a stellar example of what we can achieve through vision, compromise and leadership. When the ADA was conceived, it was anything but a certainty. It was a bold, sweeping legislative change that would have a transformative effect on our nation. Understandably, it was controversial at the time and people had questions and concerns about the law’s full impact.

But our leaders at the time understood the importance of meeting the challenge, as well as the need to collaborate on a bipartisan basis to make the ADA a reality. So they listened to the concerns of all stakeholders – the dauntless activists for the disabled, the business community and taxpayers – to craft a reasonable yet effective compromise that required both courage and statesmanship.

My great hope is that today’s leaders will reflect on that example of committed and enlightened reform and seek ways to recapture that same spirit of constructive engagement, conciliation and optimism as we face today’s challenges. What a marvelous way to honor the ADA’s legacy, and to build upon the hard-earned progress we’ve achieved to date.

Rodney E. Hood is the chairman of the NCUA in Washington, D.C.