Reflecting on the ADA in 2025: ADA35

Thirty-five years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. It affirmed the civil rights of millions of Americans with disabilities, and prohibited discrimination based on disability across public life. This could not have been possible without the concerted efforts of people with disabilities and their families asserting their right to dignity and equal opportunity. From the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the historic Section 504 Sit-in of 1977, to the Capitol Crawl in 1990, each of these milestones brought national attention to the urgent need for civil rights protections. Alexa Brill, daughter of National Advisory Board (NAB) on Improving Health Care Services for Older Adults and People with Disabilities member Kathy Brill, shares that as a person with a disability, “The ADA has allowed me to access the same opportunities and places as everyone else. It also helps to eliminate the stigma that so many people with disabilities face.” Through experiences like Alexa’s, we witness the ADA’s direct impact and continued relevance.

The NAB was formed by Elevance Health in 2007 to bring the lived experiences of people with disabilities and older adults into the conversation on healthcare design, specifically Managed Care. Lex Frieden, convener of the NAB, is one of the original architects of the ADA. After sustaining a spinal cord injury and becoming a quadriplegic, Lex brings his firsthand experience and unwavering dedication to the national conversation. Grounded by six foundational principles, the NAB’s mission is to transform healthcare into a person-centered experience and ensure people with disabilities and older adults can live self-directed, independent lives. NAB members are advocates, professionals, caregivers, and community leaders, who remind us that real inclusion means shaping systems with disabled people, not just for them. The NAB builds upon the ADA’s foundation of access and equity, striving to fully realize the ADA’s goals: to ensure equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities.

Before the ADA, many people with disabilities were excluded from public life – not by choice, but by law and design.

During the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, many American cities had Ugly Laws, which made it illegal for people with visible disabilities to be seen in public. The message was clear: if you didn’t look, move, or speak a certain way, you didn’t belong. We lived in a world where the humanity of people with disabilities was overlooked, and they were punished for not being “normal.” People with disabilities were often isolated in institutions that were overcrowded, poorly funded, and dangerous. Families who wanted better options for their children started organizing, and small changes began to unfold. The 1920 Smith-Fess Vocational Rehabilitation Act was one of the first to offer job training to people with disabilities outside of the military, showing that community participation was possible.

In the late 1960s, people with disabilities across the country began organizing in new and powerful ways, taking inspiration from the broader civil rights movements of the era. This wave of activism gave rise to a new way of thinking about disability, not as an individual medical problem to be “fixed” or hidden, but as a social and political identity. The burden was no longer on disabled individuals to “overcome” their conditions, but on society to change the structures that excluded them.

Disability advocates brought to light the injustices they experienced and worked with allies to build a world in which more people understand the importance of considering accessibility in our society.

From the 1940s through the 1970s, reforms in Congress and changes in voting rights opened the door for more inclusive policy conversations. Grassroots disability advocates seized this opportunity, building momentum for legal and institutional change. President George H. W. Bush campaigned on advancing the rights of people with disabilities, and his administration worked closely with disability advocates to achieve this. A bipartisan coalition of disability policy champions were personally invested in addressing discrimination against disabled people. These disability rights advocates and Congressmembers collaborated on an inclusive and responsive legislative process that resulted in the passage of the ADA in 1990.

Now, the right of disabled people to exist in public space is protected under federal law. As NAB member Michelle Putnam observes, without the ADA, “My world would be more segregated with many fewer people experiencing disability in it.” Though she doesn’t identify as disabled, Michelle notes that the past 35 years have brought a cultural shift: “People with disabilities have really asserted themselves as having the right to be in the world just like everyone else.”

The ADA opened doors to opportunities for people with disabilities across America, advancing access, employment, and public engagement for all.

Today, more students with disabilities are graduating from high school and college, more workplaces are embracing inclusive hiring practices, and accessibility is increasingly built into the design of everything from digital technology to urban infrastructure. As Dean of Students at the University of Texas Medical Branch in the early 1990s, NAB member Chuck Christiansen recalls a time when there were discussions about whether students who used mobility aids should be admitted to professional programs because of the physical demands those professions imposed. The ADA mandates reasonable accommodations to protect against such discrimination, which has enabled hundreds of graduates to enter health professions where their personal experiences of disability guide compassionate care for individuals with disabilities.

Cynthia Overton, NAB member, became disabled about a decade after the ADA was signed into law. Before living with a disability, she rarely noticed barriers like stairs or heavy doors because they didn’t affect her; but when she began using a wheelchair, those same features became major obstacles. Now, as a cane user, she still relies on accommodations like lowered buses and accessible restrooms. While challenges remain, Cynthia says, “I’m in a much better position to navigate my surroundings than I would have been before the ADA. Plus, the ADA offers an option for recourse.”

Experiences like those of the NAB members and so many others remind us of the importance of the ADA to protect the rights of people with disabilities to participate in all areas of public life.

The ADA shifted the national conversation from charity and pity to access and inclusion.

Despite the progress made, significant disparities persist: people with disabilities still face higher rates of unemployment, lower incomes, and ongoing barriers to transportation and housing compared to their non-disabled peers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2023, the employment-population ratio for people with disabilities was just 22.5%, compared to 65.8% for those without disabilities. These inequities are not due to lack of talent or aspiration, but structural barriers and social bias.

Access, rather than a single goal, is the process of working in coalition to create a world where everyone belongs. We can follow the lead of activists who fought for the ADA by collaborating with others who share a vision for full inclusion. NAB member Sita Diehl believes that we can continue to advance the ADA by enacting “public policies based on the principle that we are stronger and better when every person has the opportunity to be their best selves.” In a world where inclusion and access are embedded in every system, not an afterthought, “There would not be a separate ADA… It would just be the normal way of doing things,” as NAB member Kathy Brill and her family reflect.

Katy Neas, NAB member and CEO of The Arc of the United States, shared that her hope for the future is one where all of us are respected for our strengths, talents, and humanity: “I dream about the day when every school leader values every child and wants them to set high goals and exceed them. I dream about a day when every adult can live where they want, with whomever they want, and have the financial freedom to enjoy their lives however they want.” While policy drives progress, it is personal stories and collective action that drive meaningful change.

In honor of the ADA’s 35^th anniversary, the NAB shares this post to reaffirm our commitment to improving and modernizing the healthcare system to meet the holistic needs of people with disabilities and older adults. To fully realize this, and the ADA’s goals, the path forward requires collective action, deep listening, and strong partnerships. In the words of Lex Frieden, “The ADA has effectively changed our environment and the way people look at us and treat us… but we have yet to fully implement and realize the promise of the ADA. Let us work together to catch the dream.”

This blog post was co-written by Elevance Health interns Tooba Ishaq, Marvia Cunanan, and Antony Lin.