By David Gordon, associate editor
A virtual exhibit at UW-Eau Claire, honoring the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), will be available through December.
It examines how the ADA “profoundly and positively” has impacted the lives of Chippewa Valley residents since it was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990. The Eau Claire County Board has declared July 26 as “Americans with Disabilities Act Awareness Day” in the county.
The exhibit can be viewed at this link. It was originally planned as a physical exhibit at UW-EC’s McIntyre Library, until the COVID-19 pandemic forced it online.
What the ADA covers
The ADA protects people with disabilities from discrimination in employment and multiple other areas of life. It defines “disability” not only as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities” but also as having “a history of such impairment or being perceived by others as having such an impairment.”
The exhibit notes that approximately 20 percent of the American population has a disability of some sort. These range from hearing, vision and mobility impairments to speech and learning disabilities, mental impairment and seizure disabilities, to name only some of the conditions the ADA covers.
The ADA avoided listing specific disabilities and, instead, determined who was to be covered by whether “the condition significantly limits life activities,” according to Katherine Schneider, Senior Psychologist Emerita, UW-EC Counseling Services, and one of the three people who developed and curated the exhibit.
Schneider, who has been blind from birth, added that it is frequently necessary to ask – sometimes repeatedly – for disability accommodations to be made.
“People don’t realize that just because the ADA says it is required doesn’t mean it happens,” she said. “If repeated requests for an accommodation are not answered, legal action can be taken, but this is a lengthy process.”
Exhibit lists protected areas
In addition to employment, the ADA provides protection in “purchasing goods and services, and participating in state and local government programs and services,” according to the exhibit.
The employment provision applies to public employers, labor unions and private firms with 15 or more employees. It bars discrimination in all aspects of employment against workers with a disability who are “qualified” for a job – which means, according to the exhibit, “that the person must be able to perform the essential job functions with reasonable accommodations that do not cause the employer undue hardship (e.g. too expensive, or too difficult to achieve).”
The exhibit notes that any business or non-profit organization providing goods and services to the public must provide access to people with disabilities. Accessible websites, captioned movies and wheelchair access are examples of this requirement.
Other areas within the ADA’s purview include public transportation, government services and communication. It also specifies that service animals – with some exceptions – are allowed to accompany their owners in all public locations.
Access to public transportation can be provided either by modifying existing vehicles or by providing parallel services like paratransit – a service provided locally by Abby Vans, the exhibit notes.
The government services requirement applies to both architectural and communication barriers for people with visual, hearing and speech disabilities. The exhibit notes examples ranging from handicapped parking slots to Braille marking on elevators and room signage and closed captioning on government public service ads.
The ADA’s communication requirements have led to such measures as closed captioned TV programs and large print menus. The legislation also requires emergency information to be provided in ways that are accessible to both blind and deaf individuals.
Pandemic led to digital display
Schneider said the original intent was for a live exhibit “but after COVID-19, we decided to go virtual instead.
“I wanted people in the Chippewa Valley to realize that the ADA law plus their time, money and efforts have made this a more livable community for the 20 percent of Americans who have a disability,” she said.
In addition to Schneider, the exhibit was developed by Greg Kocken, UWEC’s Special Collections Librarian and Archivist, and Adam Azzalino, a UW-EC public history graduate student.
“I think we actually have an opportunity to have a bigger impact with a digital exhibit,” Kocken said. “This is one of those moments where you are forced to change your plans, but that change of plans turns out to be better than your original thought.”
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