Fighting systemic and personal ableism in our work

Signed into law on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and ensures equal opportunity in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.

While the ADA has led to opportunity and access, it cannot remove the long-standing discrimination, systemic ableism, and social prejudice against people with disabilities and the ableism ingrained in our culture. We can continue to challenge our biases and reduce barriers for students, faculty, and staff in our work by:

• Providing both physical and digital accommodations.
• Improving accessibility in our digital content.
• Ensuring DEI is a part of the hiring process.
• Creating accessible and inclusive meetings.
• Participating in disability-related education and training and the Digital Accessibility Badging Program.
• Engaging with accessibility experts in our community.

Disability Pride Month - We Belong Here, and We’re Here to Stay

July celebrates the signing of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It is a defining moment for people with disabilities and a recognition of the decades of protest and activism. While we celebrate some of the gains, people with disabilities continue to experience barriers in housing, employment, education, and healthcare. People with disabilities are also four times more likely to experience violence than persons without disability.

Disability justice highlights the ways in which marginalized identities experience disability differently and recognizes that disabilities are transitory and fluid. Many of us will experience a disability over the course of our lives. According to the World Health Organization, 15% of the world’s population experiences some form of disability and one in four people in the US are considered disabled. That is about 70 million people.

Want to learn more?

• Office for Equity & Diversity: Equity Certificate Hosted Online courses includes a module on Abelism & Disability Justice
• Disability Pride Month activities (bottom of the page)
• Recommended reading from St Paul Public Libraries: Adult fiction, adult nonfiction/memoirs, teen fiction/nonfiction, and kids fiction/nonfiction
• Connect with ACT: Advocating Change Together - supports the leadership of people with disabilities to fight ableism and build inclusive communities
• Podcasts recommendations

Fighting systemic and personal ableism in our work

Signed into law on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and ensures equal opportunity in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. While the ADA has led to opportunity and access, it cannot remove the long-standing discrimination and social prejudice against disabled people and the ableism ingrained in our culture.

Before laws like the ADA, it was perfectly legal to exclude people with disabilities from government services, employment, public schools, and even buying goods and services. This systemic ableism—discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities—continues today in restrictive laws and inequalities, such as allowing subminimum wages for disabled workers, or even in our own personal biases, where we inherently prefer body and mind normativity.

We can, however, challenge our biases and wield the power of alleyship by engaging with people with both visible and invisible disabilities and listening to their lived experiences. We can also reduce barriers for students, faculty, and staff in our work by:

• Providing both physical and digital accommodations.
• Improving accessibility in our digital content.
• Ensuring DEI is a part of the hiring process.
• Creating accessible and inclusive meetings.
• Participating in disability-related education and training.

ADA Title II and the UMN webinar

On Thursday, September 26 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., members of the new Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA), in collaboration with the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED) and UMN Libraries, are presenting a webinar about the new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II rule changes and their implications for the University community. If you are interested in registering for the webinar or want to learn more, see Accessibility Ambassadors: ADA Title II and the UMN.