IDAHO SUMMARY REPORT
APRIL 27, 1995

Host organization: Idaho Task Force on the ADA
NCD Member: Kate Wolters

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Idaho?

Citizens gathered in Boise to tell NCD about the positive impacts the ADA has had on their lives. Transportation was the most often cited improvement people said they have experienced as a result of the ADA, but access to outdoor recreation opportunities and other kinds of public accommodations were also noted.

Don Collins told those present that Boise recently acquired 20 new wheelchair lift-equipped buses along with two new paratransit vehicles. "Now I'll be able to get around without having to schedule rides 24 hours in advance," Collins remarked. "It's a real exciting time for folks in Boise. We've been waiting a long time for this," he said. "And the Boise bus system is reorganizing in an attempt to shorten waiting times and develop routes that cover more territory," added Roger Howard, Executive Director of the Idaho Task Force on the ADA.

Sue Harms is another Boise resident who spoke about the improvements in transportation that have resulted from the ADA. Although currently able to drive, Harms spent more than two years unable to drive because of Multiple Sclerosis. "Having the availability of the ACCESS bus to transport me directly to and from my house to medical and other appointments, support group meetings, etc. enabled me to manage my life's commitments and interests without having to rely on family members and other volunteer drivers," she said. Harms also finds the ACCESS fares reasonable. "They fit within my fixed income which would not be able to stretch to cover taxi costs," she remarked. And now that Harms is driving again, she commented that she welcomes reserved parking spaces for disabled travelers.

Outdoor recreation activities have become much more accessible as a result of the ADA, according to Roger Howard. Idahoans with disabilities want more access to picnicking, fishing, camping, and other outdoor recreational activities, reported Howard, who cited a recent study by the Idaho State Independent Living Council which shows that 80% of people with disabilities in Idaho agree or strongly agree that access to recreational opportunities is important.

Since passage of the ADA, Howard explained, "things have begun to change dramatically." The Boise National Forest has made accessibility improvements at a number of campsites--highly used facilities and remote, backcountry sites alike. "In every case," he said, "a majority of the recommended modifications were not only low in cost but easy to accomplish."

Howard offered an example of how, through education, a non-disabled person came to support the campground changes. Most of the improvements had already been made, and Howard was taking photographs to show how little still needed to be done. A nearby camper and long-time user of the campground came over, and the two started talking. "The man said the character and attractions of the campground would be destroyed if it were made accessible. He was surprised when I told him that the modifications had been taking place for four years and were 95% complete." Howard took the camper on a tour of the campground to show him the work that had already been done. "He mentioned that he had noticed the changes, but had just figured they were minor improvements that benefited all users. By the end of the discussion, he was firmly convinced that accessibility improvements had not ruined the campground and was running around trying to find barriers I had missed so they too could be removed!" Howard said. Howard's camper friend illustrates the fact that once people really understand the ADA, they usually support it.

Howard also described efforts by the City of Boise Parks and Recreation Department to make multiple use urban parks as well as small neighborhood parks accessible. "Implementation of this ambitious and cost-effective plan has begun," he said.

In addition to recreational facilities, hotels have also been made more accessible since the ADA. Richard Gallaghen, manager of the hotel in which the Town Meeting was held, spoke briefly. His hotel has made a number of modifications, he explained, in order to be fully accessible to guests with disabilities. "And we've enhanced our business by working with groups like the Idaho Task Force," he said. Gallaghen will be president of the Greater Boise Innkeepers Association next year, and "I will be urging our members to make their facilities more accessible as well," Gallaghen said.

Day to day community life is more accessible, thanks to the ADA, several said. Marcie Dale, a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy, spoke appreciatively of curb cuts in Boise. "I am thankful for what the Boise community is doing to make it easier for people with disabilities to live independently in the community," she commented.

Another woman, Bobby Ball, a wheelchair user, wanted to be able to visit her children at their school. But she could not, because the school entrance had stairs but no ramp. "For two years I requested that a ramp be built so that I could get into the school," said Ball. The school refused. "Then I found out about the ADA and explained the law to them. "Then the school put in a ramp, and now I can visit my children's school, which I really enjoy. The ADA is a great piece of legislation," she says. Although the ADA does not address education, its passage appears to have made many school systems more aware of their responsibilities under earlier legislation.

In addition to travel, recreation, and public accommodations, the ADA has made a difference in employment to Idahoans. Don Collins, who works at the Idaho State Insurance Fund, stated that before he began his job, he and his employer discussed accommodations he would need. "They got me a voice recognition computer system," said Collins. "Having knowledge of the ADA aided me greatly.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Local public transportation has become much more accessible for people with disabilities.
• The ADA has provided a stimulus to the implementation of earlier civil rights legislation directed at people with disabilities.
• Non-disabled people are much more aware of disabilities and receptive to accommodating people with disabilities.

ILLINOIS SUMMARY REPORT
JUNE 1, 1995

Host organization: Chicago Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
NCD Member: Marca Bristo

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Illinois?

A large and varied group of individuals gathered at the Illinois Town Meeting to tell NCD that the ADA has meant a great deal to them. In employment, recreation, public accommodation, and transportation, the ADA has made a difference that the people who testified regard as extremely positive.

Illinois residents offered some impressive accounts of increased employment opportunities as a result of the ADA. Jo Holzer talked about her daughter's employment success. Margaret works at a Hilton Hotel as a reservations clerk. She is also quadriplegic. In her work she puts her computer keyboard on a music stand and uses a headset telephone. "Her work record is excellent," bragged Margaret's mother, "and she's been working there for two years."

Employees with disabilities are not the only ones who benefit from the employment provisions of the ADA. Employers can benefit as well. Ann Ford, who directs an independent living center, hires a number of individuals with disabilities. "We operate on a tight budget," she said, "but no accommodation required by my staff has been costly or prohibitive," she said. Her employees have a variety of disabilities, including mental and emotional problems. "From the standpoint of both an employer and a person with a disability, I'm seeing only positive changes resulting from the ADA," Ford added.

Employers who have no experience hiring people with disabilities are often concerned that the cost of accommodation will be very high. But Bill Bisaillon's story is typical. Bisaillon, who works at an independent living center in Kankakee, got a call from an employer who wanted to accommodate an employee with a disability but was worried about the cost. Bisaillon surveyed the worksite and concluded that the needed accommodations included: putting the employee's desk on blocks, installing a small, wooden ramp, and changing the way the bathroom door opens. The total cost: less than $50.

While employment is crucial to full participation in life, the importance of recreation must not be overlooked. And the ADA has opened up many recreational opportunities for people with disabilities. Beverly Stange-Elliott is pleased with what the ADA has brought about for her family. Her daughter has muscular dystrophy, and her town has built a completely accessible park. Accessible equipment was donated by the Lions' Club, and an accessible swim center has been put in. "Now my daughter can play at the park with other kids without feeling left out," explained Stange-Elliott. She also noted that state parks have become much more accessible in the last few years. She described a state park campground that has been made accessible with a raised picnic table, an accessible bathroom, and an asphalt ground surface. "Camping there was a good family experience," Stange-Elliott stated enthusiastically. "We never could go camping before."

A very different type of recreation has also been made accessible. "For the past few years I've taken cruises," said Fred Stark, Coordinator of Chicago-ADAPT. "Facilities are becoming more and more accessible--both the ships and the ports," he said. "Princess Lines are especially accessible," he added.

Even gambling has become an accessible form of recreation! "Casinos like the Grand Victoria in Elgin and the Hollywood Casino in Aurora have accommodations for the disabled individuals!!" wrote Connie Duffin in testimony she submitted to the Town Meeting.

In addition to recreation, many other types of public accommodations have become more accessible to people with disabilities. Many people would echo Father Joseph Mulcrone's comment that, "businesses have realized, 'Hey, this is a whole new pool of customers!'"

Certain public accommodations changes are of special benefit to people with visual impairments. Ray Campbell is happy that he can find Braille menus at some restaurants. "In the last two months I've been to the Outback Steak House, and to Bob Evans," he said. "How nice to be able to read the menu!"

Another individual with a visual impairment arranged to have a bill sent to him in large print. When he got a bill from Nordstrom's that he could not read, "I called the store and told them I would like to get the bill in large print," said Jim McGovern, director of an employment project with the Council for Disability Rights. "They didn't know anything about it, but I said that through the ADA I can legally request a large print bill. And then I was sent a bill I could read," he said.

Some stores and other public accommodations are being made smoke-free, partly in response to people who have envirnmental sensitivities. "Dunkin' Donuts is now smoke-free nationwide," stated Theresa Woznicki. She inquired about the impact of that policy on business and was told, she said, that business is about the same. "The only difference," reported Woznicki, "is that the people who hung around a long time don't linger."

Sometimes access can be had simply by asking for it. Edward Bannister, of the Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois, recalled that he was riding along the street in his motorized cart when he noticed a boy nearby riding in a motorized wheelchair. "His mother was following behind carrying a board," he said. "Whenever he came to a curb, she put the board down to form a ramp for his wheelchair," said Bannister. Then Bannister got together with another advocate and went to the local public works department to ask for a few curb cuts. "They told us we could have as many as we want," said Bannister, "so we had curb cuts put in all over the neighborhood!"

Bannister's 82-year old mother, also a wheelchair user, admires her son's activism. According to Bannister, when he told her about the curb cuts, she asked him, "Where were you when I was growing up?" Bannister believes we need the ADA. "We have a level of respect we've never had before," he added.

Like citizens of many other states, Illinois residents are thankful for transportation improvements the ADA has brought about. "The ADA has had a major impact on transportation," commented Jim Charlton, a Chicago area leader in transportation access. "The number of accessible buses in the area has increased five-fold," he said.

Even distant Chicago suburbs are doing a good job of providing accessible public transportation, according to Susan Firnhaber of the Will County Center for Independent Living. "The county has fully equipped lift buses," she said. "Accessible transportation allows people with disabilities to be productive and to have gainful employment," she said. "It would have been impossible without the ADA."

One transportation improvement was especially noted by people with visual impairments. Karen Bartler is very glad that many train stations have installed a detectable warning system. "I feel much safer in stations that have detectable warning," she said.

For one former Chicagoan who came to the Town Meeting, the city has come a long way. "I see a dramatic change in the last five years since Mayor Daley created the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities," remarked Michael Conroy. "Daley was the first big-city mayor to publicly endorse the ADA, and you can tell he is committed to its full implementation. Chicago is now a much more accessible, disability-friendly City."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Many people with disabilities who used to be dependent on others are enjoying their newfound independence.
• Once employers realize that most accommodations are very simple and inexpensive, they are willing to hire persons with disabilities.
• Retailers and other business owners are realizing that people with disabilities represent a valuable, largely untapped market.
• Detectable warnings installed in subway and train stations have been a great help to people who are blind.
• It is much easier to find a public TTY than it was a few years ago.
• Many people with disabilities report that their self-esteem has improved, and they feel more self-confident since the ADA passed.
• More playgrounds are accessible to all children.
• Public transportation is much more available to people with disabilities than it was a few years ago.

INDIANA SUMMARY REPORT
APRIL 25, 1995

Host organization: Indiana ADA Steering Committee
NCD Member: Larry Brown

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Indiana?

Hoosiers gathered at their Town Meeting to let NCD know that the ADA is working for them. In the areas of employment, transportation, and public accommodations the ADA is making a difference in their lives. Some noted particular benefits of the law to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and others pointed out positive impacts of the ADA on people without disabilities.

"Because of the ADA I got a job at a supermarket," commented Eve Minton. "I am so thankful that the ADA exists."

David Vice, a mechanic, feels that he owes his job at a major steel company to the ADA. "I wouldn't be working there if it weren't for the ADA," he said. "The company accommodates me, so I can feed my two children and pay my taxes." Vice, a member of United Steelworkers Local 1010, went on to explain that he works with the union to help the company establish compliance standards to provide adequate accommodations for minimal cost. "We've already accommodated several people who work at the mills," said Vice, "and it hasn't been expensive. In fact, I don't see any costs, except rarely." And, he added, "as a person with a disability, I find ADA one of the best pieces of legislation in recent years."

ADA trainer Jodie San Pietro pointed out that employers can save money by providing reasonable accommodations for employees who have become disabled. "It's cheaper to work with an employee to accommodate his or her disability," she said, "than to hire someone else." San Pietro credits the ADA with both saving employers money and with keeping more people with disabilities in the workforce.

The ADA has also made a difference to Indianans in terms of transportation. "Because of the ADA I now have transportation to and from my employment," stated Sharon Byrkett in written testimony. Before the ADA, she explained, Indianapolis had a very small paratransit system that allowed few riders. "I could get a ride to my job, but could not get a ride home," she explained. Her husband, who also has a disability, had to pick her up every day, even when a work emergency at his own workplace required him to work late. "Now, because of the ADA" she wrote, "I have the RIGHT AND THE RESPONSIBILITY to use public transportation and to make sure that the law is enforced."

Larry Snyder, an ADA consultant, told a surprising story about public transportation in his community of Columbus. In 1992 people with disabilities began asking the Columbus Transit System to use lift-equipped buses. It turned out that ramps had been installed on buses in 1988 during a different administration, "but no one realized they were there because they had never been used," explained Snyder, a wheelchair user. "So the ramps were oiled and they're now in use," he stated. "Now our transportation system is second to none in Indiana!"

Public transportation in Indianapolis has improved dramatically since the ADA's passage, according to Karen Vaughn of Vaughn & Associates. "Our paratransit system provides about 400 rides a day," she said, "well over 300 more per day than before the ADA."

Many of the paratransit rides in Indianapolis and other cities are to public accommodations which, thanks to the ADA, are more likely to be accessible. "The ADA has made it possible for me to enjoy my life," stated Rita Renee Gould, a single mother who has been paraplegic for six years. "I can shop, go to the beauty shop, and do what everyone else does," she stated. One important reason Gould appreciates being able to get around independently is that she does not want her 12-year old son to be burdened by having to push his mother's wheelchair wherever she wants to go. Gould, who is African-American, believes the ADA is reaching the minority community fairly well but that there are many who still do not understand the extent of the law. "I'm trying to educate," she stated.

While greater access to public accommodations is making life easier and better for people in their own communities, travel is becoming easier as well. One reason for that is the increase in accessible motel and hotel rooms. Yo Samson described a recent car trip when she and her friend were looking for an accessible place to spend the night. "We had a hard time finding a place," said Samson, a wheelchair user who is also blind, "not because there weren't any accessible accommodations but because they were all in use!" She attributed the rooms' existence to the ADA.

Sometimes access to public accommodations comes only with great effort. In written testimony, Suzie Rimstidt told NCD that she had to fight to get accessible seating at Indiana University basketball games. Because her disability prevents her from climbing steps, Rimstidt wrote to the Sports Department explaining her situation and requesting seats in the front of the bleachers. "In response, and to my consternation," she wrote, "the Sports Department sent me aisle seats 11 steps up, with no railing or even a wall to hang onto!" Rimstidt then called the Sports Department and was told nothing could be done because all the tickets had been sold. But then when Rimstidt brought up the need to comply with the ADA, "they made far more accessible and safer accommodations for me on a game by game basis."

One group who have particularly benefited from the ADA are the deaf and hard of hearing. David Reynolds of the Indiana Deaf School brought a group of middle school students to the Town Meeting. They had been learning about the ADA in school and were eager to offer their opinions about the Act.

Johnny Mazurkewicz commented, "I thank the ADA for the state relay service. I can now talk on the phone to anyone I want. It gives me more independence to use the phone." Another student, David Arvey, who goes to the Deaf School half-days and is mainstreamed half-days, thanks the ADA "for mandating interpreters for mainstream students."

Another group of people who benefit from the ADA are people without disabilities. Russell Goode, a wheelchair user, cited a study which showed that more than 90% of people will walk to a curb cut rather than step off or onto a curb. And Alan Spaulding pointed out that senior citizens who once saw their disabilities simply as aging are now happy to be able to take advantage of curb cuts, assisted listening devices, and other accommodations that help them participate fully in society. "And people without disabilities appreciate automatic doors," Spaulding said, "if their hands are full and they're trying to get into a building."

As Jodie San Pietro says, "I look at the ADA as an insurance policy. If I become disabled, I'll know that public accommodations, employment, and state and local government programs are still available to me."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Many municipal buildings have been made accessible.
• Local transportation for people with disabilities is much better than it was before the ADA.
• People with disabilities feel more confident and more hopeful about their future.
• People with disabilities are more able to get reasonable accommodations to enable them to use their skills in the workplace.
• Many changes that have been made to provide access for people with disabilities have benefited non-disabled people as well.
• The relay service has brought people with hearing impairments into the mainstream where they can communicate by phone with anyone without having to have someone else place their calls for them.

IOWA SUMMARY REPORT
APRIL 11, 1995

Host organization: Iowa Commission on Persons with Disabilities
NCD Member: Larry Brown

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Iowa?

When it comes to public accommodations, travel, and services for people with hearing impairments, the ADA has affected Iowans' lives in beneficial ways, many people stated at their ADA Town Meeting. In addition, some said, ADA has fostered a spirit of teamwork among individuals with different disabilities.

"Many businesses are working to comply with the ADA," stated Kevin Burt, who works at Iowa City's Independent Living Center. And Burt finds that newer businesses are more willing to comply than older ones. "The attitude is more receptive among younger businesses," Burt says, "when we show them what they can do to bring in more customers by making their facilities accessible." Burt, an African-American whose father was involved in an earlier civil rights struggle, believes that a barrier to a person with a disability is as discriminatory as a 'whites only' sign in a store window.

Businesses can benefit from complying with the ADA, pointed out one unidentified speaker. She described a gas station that moved its aisles to increase accessibility.

A theater manager in Davenport also found that complying with the ADA increased his business. Mike Hanick, director of an advocacy training program at the University of Iowa, explained that the manager grudgingly installed audio description. "But then the manager noticed there is a market for this tool, and he realized it made sense from a business point of view."

Hanick says that in today's disability-conscious climate, many institutions really want to become accessible. A number of businesses have approached him to learn what they can do to make their facilities accessible. "Even my church," he said, "accommodated me by purchasing Braille prayer books, despite the fact that churches are not covered by the ADA.

Self-advocacy is especially effective when it comes to public accommodations. John TenPas described his wife's approach to getting stores to move toward accessibility. "My wife was born to shop," he said. "And if she can't get in one store, she'll go to another, and then write a letter to the inaccessible one, telling about all the money she spent elsewhere that she would have spent there if the store had been accessible."

All those who addressed travel agreed that greater access is needed. But many had positive stories to tell as well. One unidentified woman from Cedar Rapids described a program in her city that allows people who cannot drive because of disability to take a taxi to work on a regular basis for only half-fare.

Another kind of travel--the ocean cruise--is a little more accessible these days. "Because of the ADA, I can enjoy my favorite kind of vacation without having to get a physician's release to go on the cruise," said Mike Hanick.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing have benefited greatly from the ADA, several speakers said. "Title IV has had and will have a most profound effect on the deaf," stated Janice Hawkins, the daughter of deaf parents. She describes the change in the lives of deaf people due to the relay service as 'monumental.' Now that deaf people can use the relay to conduct business on their own without help from a hearing person, "I see individuals taking charge of their own lives," said Hawkins.

An advocate, Hawkins observed that deaf people are being given more responsibility on the job, as well as more promotions. "It used to be that deaf people stayed in the same job throughout their careers," said Hawkins, who suffers from later effects of childhood polio and considers the ADA her "life insurance policy."

The needs of hard of hearing people, different from the needs of deaf people, are also being addressed by the ADA, commented Jill Robinson, who is hard of hearing and the president of Central Iowa Self-Help for Hard of Hearing. Robinson explained that since many hard of hearing people do not sign, they do not benefit from interpreters. "But thanks to the ADA," she said, "assistive listening devices are usually available at meetings, and hospitals have amplified phones and other devices that enable people who are hard of hearing to communicate." Because of the ADA, Robinson explained, the state's court system and Capitol building have been made accessible to hard of hearing people. "Before the ADA, I never saw a public TTY telephone," she said.

Though not a tangible benefit of the ADA, the spirit of unity created among people with different disabilities is not to be overlooked. "Even though programs existed prior to the ADA," stated Murlean Hall, the first African-American chairperson of the Governor's Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities, "there seems to have developed a new sense of unity among participants." Dave O'Brien, outreach director at the Central Iowa Independent Living Center, agrees. "The ADA has created an air of teamwork that's stopped separation of people with different disabilities from each other," he said. "The ADA has bridged the gap among different disabilities toward the greater whole," he added.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• More and more employers are realizing that people with disabilities can make motivated and reliable employees.
• Owners of different types of businesses are realizing that accessibility can be good for business.
• Communication has opened up for people who are hearing impaired.

KANSAS SUMMARY REPORT
FEBRUARY 15, 1995

Host organization: Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns
NCD Member: Larry Brown

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Kansas?

Speakers at the ADA Town Meeting in Topeka expressed gratitude for the difference ADA has made in their lives--at work, in the community, at home, and in entertainment, recreation, and travel.

"After six years of receiving disability benefits, I am now able to collect a paycheck," Michael Todd told those present. "ADA has removed barriers to employment, and it feels good once again to be a contributing member of society," stated Todd, a computer lab instructor. "ADA is a wonderful piece of legislation that has allowed many of us to achieve independence," he said.

Avia Cole also attributes her employment to the ADA. When a stroke in 1979 and subsequent complications left her partially paralyzed and unable to read or write, Cole tried unsuccessfully to find work. "After the ADA was passed, I went to a seminar on ADA and employment and got rejuvenated," said Cole. "I began looking again, and within two months I found a job. Now I'm working!"

An artist credits the ADA with enhancing his career. Jeri Strange's disability makes marketing his paintings difficult, but thanks, Strange says, to increased self-confidence among people with disabilities as a result of the ADA, an organization of artists with disabilities has emerged. The group, Art Knows No Bounds, has helped Strange exhibit his work. Now Strange is a better known artist. He is finding markets for his paintings and is teaching art. "The ADA presented these opportunities," Strange stated, "to achieve my life goals."

Several speakers spoke about the ADA's requirement of reasonable accommodation in the workplace. Alan Post, a Wichita attorney, has a hearing impairment. Computer-assisted real-time captioning (CART) is an accommodation that has helped him a great deal. With CART, a court reporter types symbols into a computer that can then produce words about two seconds after they are spoken. "There is nothing worse than struggling along in a gathering at the level of 'what did they say' with no time to analyze and react, especially for a lawyer in court," says Post. With CART, Post feels he is much more effective in his work.

While high tech equipment is enabling many people with disabilities to work, reasonable accommodations are more often simple and inexpensive. For example, Kenneth Golden, a wheelchair user, says the main accommodation he needed at work was just a couple of wooden blocks to raise his computer desk so that his wheelchair could fit under it. The cost? Less than $5.

Businesses, professional offices, and entire communities have become much more accessible, thanks to the ADA, several said. Ed Herrick, for example, reported that his local grocery store is getting shopping carts that will hook onto his wheelchair. Others credited stores with making their aisles wide enough for a wheelchair to pass through.

Michelle Campbell, of Salina, told of having to sit at the entrance to a store because her wheelchair could not fit inside. "A clerk or a friend would have to bring items to me," says Campbell. "But now I can get in, and clerks and waitresses ask me what I want instead of asking the person with me what I want!"

Jeff Simon related that in his town of Osborne there was no accessible optometrist. "I advocated with others to make the optometrist's office accessible. It's now being remodeled to comply with the ADA," Simon said. Simon finds that "as a person with a disability, I find the best part of ADA is gaining access to somewhere I've never been before."

Amy Ritter can get around her town of Osage City by herself now, thanks to the ADA. A wheelchair user, Ritter can take advantage of downtown curb cuts and can now avoid having to move her wheelchair through street traffic.

Entertainment and recreation have also become more accessible as a result of the ADA. Teresa Rundell, who has a hearing impairment, enjoys visiting Salina's Community Art Center by using its 'self-directed' audio tours. Ed Brungardt expressed his pleasure that he can go out to eat with co-workers who use wheelchairs.

Travel has become easier for people with disabilities since the ADA, according to several Kansans. "My husband and I love to travel," says Jo Ann Buche, a wheelchair user. "And since the ADA, attitudes of hotel managers toward accommodating disabilities have improved a great deal."

Sharon Joseph described her pleasure in working with the owner of the White Haven Motor Lodge in Overland Park. The motel was not accessible and Joseph contacted the owner to explain Title III of the ADA. "The owner went way beyond what was readily achievable to make his motel a model of accessibility," said Joseph. "He was an astute business person who was responding to a lethargic market by expanding his customer base to include people with disabilities," she said.

Overall, life for people with disabilities is better with the ADA, summed up Brenda Henry. "Because of the ADA," she said, "I have more of the opportunities that other people have. Now I feel like a participant in life, not a spectator," she said.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• The ADA has dramatically improved employment opportunities. There is less discrimination in hiring, and ADA's 'reasonable accommodation' requirement enables people with disabilities to acquire the tools they need to work.
• Some communities, like Lawrence, are doing more than required to comply with ADA. Others are resisting making the changes needed to comply.
• The public is much more aware of people with disabilities and their needs than before the ADA.
• Businesses are realizing it makes good business sense to make their establishments accessible.
• The ADA has allowed many people with disabilities to live independently.
• More people with disabilities are working and enjoying being taxpayers rather than receiving government aid.

KENTUCKY SUMMARY REPORT
FEBRUARY 7, 1995

Host organization: Department of Employment Services
NCD Member: Jack Gannon

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Kentucky?

When it comes to employment and transportation, Kentuckians are thankful for the changes the ADA has made in their lives. Speakers also addressed many other changes the ADA has brought--changes that are making people with disabilities part of mainstream, everyday life.

Before the ADA, looking for a job was much harder," stated Jerry Wheatley. "It's not easy now, but it's better" he said. Wheatley believes the ADA has raised the awareness of employers, making them more receptive to hiring people with disabilities.

An unidentified woman commented that with the ADA in effect, she is not asked about her disability when applying for a job. "I thank the ADA for making organizations and businesses aware that they can't discriminate," she added.

Diane Brewer is looking forward to making use of the employment provisions of the ADA. After working as a nurse for 20 years, she became mentally ill and is now learning to live independently again. Eager to get back into the workforce, Brewer believes that everyone has his or her learning style and level, and that "everyone can contribute."

In order to make their contribution in the workplace, people need to be able to get to work, of course. And the availability of accessible public transportation is increasing, as a result of the ADA. Roy Siden is a Lexington resident who had spent years trying to get wheelchair lifts installed on city buses. "Without the ADA I didn't have a chance," he said. "But now that the ADA is law, lifts are being installed, and I'll be able to get to work and shopping," he exclaimed. Siden maintains that the transportation provisions of the ADA will reduce the welfare rolls, since more people with disabilities will be able to get to work.

Another provision of the law calls for accessibility to all state and local government services. And Kentucky is working hard to comply, according to Sharon Fields, Special Advisor to the Governor on ADA. Herself legally blind, Fields trains and works with each state agency's ADA coordinator. "All state buildings are being made accessible," she said, "and the tunnel from the state capitol to the annex has been equipped with chair lifts on each flight of steps." State employees are offered sign language classes, and state agencies have access to a Braille printer. "Most of these changes would not have taken place without the ADA," admits Fields.

In addition to opening doors to employment, transportation, and government services, the ADA can also help dispel the prejudice that often prevents people with disabilities from becoming homeowners. Danny Carroll described his experience in buying a home recently. Because of his mental illness, the lender was reluctant to do business with him. "They wanted to know all about my disability, my diagnosis, and my prognosis, even though I have been taking care of business for 29 years," he said. Carroll hired a lawyer and proceeded to educate the lending agency about mental illness and the ADA. "If it weren't for the ADA, I wouldn't be living in my own house today," he said. Carroll also stressed that the ADA is not about special privileges, but only about extending to people with disabilities the same rights that others enjoy.

By including mental illness and substance abuse problems in the definition of disability, the ADA has paved the way for many to get much needed help. Wayne Brock, of Bowling Green, had been diagnosed for mental illness and substance abuse. "Before the ADA," he said, "substance abuse programs were not paid for by insurance, but now they are." Brock attributes the fact that he has been free of alcohol and drugs for eight months in part to the ADA.

ADA's existence has helped reinforced earlier disability civil rights laws. So, even though the ADA does not address education specifically, accessibility changes that should have been made years ago in education are coming about. Mary Ann Westerdale, for example, told how her son, thanks in part to the ADA, is now a college freshman at Eastern Kentucky University. Westerdale's son has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. Now that curb cuts have been made around campus, and buildings are accessible, her son can look forward to getting his degree and becoming a contributing member of society. She also added appreciatively that Richmond, the town in which EKU is located, has become more accessible as well. "My son is no longer an outsider," Westerdale said, "because he can participate in activities both on and off campus, thanks to the ADA."

Another college student, Susanne Hoffman of Northern Kentucky University, credited the ADA with creating a sympathetic climate that allows her to pursue her education. Suffering from a chronic pain disorder, Hoffman finds it impossible to attend all of her classes. When she had problems with instructors who maintained a strict attendance policy, she complained to the university. Thanks to an awareness that she attributes partly to the ADA, the university responded by sending a letter to all faculty members urging them to adopt a flexible attendance policy for students whose disabilities make perfect attendance a hardship. Hoffman also credits the ADA with giving her and others in her community the courage to form an advocacy group to talk to business owners and others in their community about access.

Perhaps the most important benefit of the ADA is that it provides people with disabilities a valuable tool to act on their own to increase accessibility. Howard Fuetterer, who uses a wheelchair, reported that whenever he finds a facility that is inaccessible, he explains the ADA to the building manager and recommends what should be done to make the place accessible. Ramps, curb cuts, and handicapped parking spaces have all been installed as a result of Fuetterer's efforts. But some business owners and building managers ignore his recommendations. "I come back to check on how the changes are going. Once they see that I'm serious about making sure the law is enforced, they usually start making changes," emphasized Fuetterer. He believes that most people want to accommodate people with disabilities when they know what they can do to help.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• The ADA has opened many doors that previously were closed to people with disabilities.
• Public awareness about disabilities has grown a great deal.
• More people with disabilities now have the courage to advocate for themselves. Some have even organized disability rights advocacy groups.
• Employment opportunities for people with disabilities have increased, thanks to improvements in public transportation and changes in the job application process.
• Higher education is now more accessible to people with disabilities.

LOUISIANA SUMMARY REPORT
FEBRUARY 16, 1995

Host organization: University of New Orleans, Division of Public Service Training
NCD Member: Mary Raether

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Louisiana?

Louisianans have had a variety of successes with the ADA. Especially when it comes to public accommodations, many people with disabilities say they see a big difference in Louisiana since the ADA. Donna Clark praised Jefferson Parish for its enforcement of the use of special parking for people with disabilities. "It makes a difference in where I shop," she says. Certainly businesses that make sure accessible parking is available gain the patronage of people with disabilities.

Public accommodations for people with hearing impairments have improved a great deal since the ADA, Lynette Linker told those in attendance. Linker recalled a time before the ADA when she was a student at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. Her plane landed at the Baltimore airport, rather than at Washington National, and she could not call her parents because there was no TTY in the airport. But things have changed. Linker then told about a recent trip she took to Seattle for a wedding. Her plane was delayed, but all Linker had to do was go to the airport TTY and phone her friends to make arrangements to be picked up at a later time. "What a relief," sighed Linker. "Life's been easier since the ADA."

New Orleans hotels and motels have also become more accessible as a result of the ADA, according to people who testified. "Hotels are moving to capture this segment of the market," said Charles Tubre of New Orleans. "And the result? Increased business!" Tubre went on to say that the fact that many organizations are requiring accessible accommodations when they book major meetings and conferences is adding further economic incentive for hotels to comply with the ADA.

In addition to public accommodations, recreation has also become more accessible to people with disabilities, thanks to the increased consciousness about disabilities that the ADA has brought about. Mary LeBlanc, ADA Coordinator for the City of Westwego, explained that she and the Westwego government are turning 100 acres that were once an airport into an accessible park. Called the WHARF Project (Westwego Handicapped Accessible Recreational Facility), the park will offer a stocked fishing pond. "There will be piers and boat launches that can accommodate wheelchairs," she said, "and near the pond will be an accessible area for cleaning, cooking, and eating fish." There will also be accessible cabins, chartered excursions for people with disabilities and their families, and a sensory botanical garden that people with visual impairments can enjoy. LeBlanc's office is also planning to create an accessible trail from the park to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, about a mile away.

Louisiana Outdoorsmen with Disabilities Inc President Fleming Trosclair stated that his organization, run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities, is working with the state Parks and Recreation Department to make sporting facilities accessible. "The head of the department is all for it," Trosclair says, "but I tell you, without the ADA, we wouldn't have achieved none of it. The ADA has made authorities aware that we exist. And we're not going away!"

Children with disabilities are also enjoying more opportunities for outdoor recreation, thanks to the ADA. Pat Johnson, Director of the Jefferson Parish Office for Citizens with Disabilities, explained that the publicly-run camps have been opened to all children, non-disabled and disabled alike. "It was scary the first time a disabled kid wanted to go to one of the parish camps, but now all children are welcome at all of our camps," she said.

Some speakers pointed to improvements in employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Pat Johnson has worked with employers and employees to ensure the success of people with disabilities in the workplace. "Sign language interpreters have been provided for applicants and employees alike," she said, "and a number of other reasonable accommodations have been made to enable people to do their jobs." Through the ADA, Johnson has been able to help several people who have recently become disabled to keep their jobs. "It's better to keep someone in the workforce," she said, "not to hand them a check and have them sit at home."

Overall, people expressed a great deal of appreciation for the fact that the ADA exists. Yadi Mark, a wheelchair user who works for the Paralyzed Veterans of America, proclaimed that barriers are slowly coming down. "Even though we had the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, it took the ADA to make real change," she said. Mark says she can now expect accessibility in services and lodging. And she put it well when she commented, "The ADA has given me hope, independence, and dignity."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Hotels and motels have recognized that accessibility means more business for them and are making their facilities accessible.
• The number and quality of outdoor recreational facilities accessible to people with disabilities have increased dramatically.
• Accommodations made for people with hearing impairments have given them independence at work and when traveling.
• Education and self-advocacy have proven very effective in making change.

MAINE SUMMARY REPORT
MARCH 16, 1995

Host organization: Alpha One, Center for Independent Living
NCD Member: Bonnie O'Day

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Maine?

Maine residents addressed changes the ADA has made in their lives in such areas as recreation, shopping, travel, and employment. But some also talked about the law as something more. "The ADA has made my life healthier," reported Deborah Williams, who uses a wheelchair. "I firmly believe that the expansion of my opportunities has strengthened my physical body and given me improved health," she says. Williams, who says her life before the ADA did not look very hopeful, now runs her own bookkeeping business.

Other speakers also reported that the ADA has increased their self-confidence, their enjoyment of life, and their hope for the future. "The ADA is a confidence builder," remarked Deborah Gardner.

When it comes to recreation, the ADA has brought many changes. Carl Burnett, a 13 year old who uses a wheelchair, described the difficulty he used to have on the Maine coast during the summer. Just three stairs and an inaccessible bathroom kept him from enjoying the local recreation center with other kids his age. "But a few hundred dollars worth of renovations made the place accessible, and now I can play games there and take a boat out when I want to," said Burnett.

The miniature golf course near Burnett's home has also been made accessible. "A wheelchair user protested the golf course's inaccessibility," said Burnett, "so the owner fully ramped the place, and my brother had his birthday party there. I could get all around the place," said Burnett.

Thanks to attitudinal changes due at least in part to the ADA, some recreational activities are being made accessible from the outset. Laurie Brink, the mother of a four year old who uses a wheelchair, takes advantage of an accessible indoor play area near her home. "The Discovery Zone is ramped, so my son can play there with his brother." Brink also described a bowling alley her family frequents because it is equipped with a ramp as well as a mechanism to enable wheelchair users to bowl. "It didn't cost much to make the bowling alley accessible," says Brink, "but if it weren't for the ADA, the changes wouldn't have been made."

The number of places that are accessible or in the process of becoming so is growing, commented an unidentified speaker. She cited the Portland Children's Museum, the Portland Civic Center, and seating at Portland Sea Dogs games. She also notices that stores have instituted wider aisles, automatic door openers, and Braille signage. "These changes wouldn't have happened without the ADA," she said.

"Store owners are more aware of boxes and displays that can block the way than they used to be," commented Robert Sudheimer. Sudheimer, who is 73, has relied on personal care attendants for many years, but recently he has been traveling 15,000 miles a year in his volunteer efforts to spread the word about the ADA. Since the ADA's passage, he has noticed signs in stores encouraging shoppers who need help to ask. A deaf woman, Jan de Vinney, noted that "store clerks have become more willing to use a pen and paper to communicate with me."

The ADA is helping to remove barriers to vacation travel. Jennifer Eckle of the Northeast ADA Technical Assistance Center explained that Maine's hotel industry has become more accepting of service animals. Eckle got a call from a man who had made a hotel reservation. But when he told the owner he was blind and had a service dog, he was told no pets were allowed. Although the man explained that his dog is a worker, not a pet, he got nowhere. But with support from the statewide innkeepers' trade association, the hotel owner was sent information about service animals and the ADA. "Upon learning that the ADA provides for service animals, the owner turned around completely and welcomed the man and his service dog. Information about the law made the difference, and Eckle is planning an ADA training with the innkeepers' group.

Several speakers commented that the ADA has expanded employment opportunities for people with a range of disabilities. The law is particularly beneficial, however, for people with psychiatric disabilities, according to Kim Livingstone of Maine Advocacy Services. She finds the ADA a useful tool both during the application process and on the job. "With ADA protection," she says, "people don't have to answer questions regarding mental illness." In the past, such questioning usually meant an applicant with a psychiatric disability had to lie or probably not get the job. "The ADA is also a useful tool in helping people with psychiatric disabilities keep their jobs through reasonable accommodation," she said.

An important point was raised about the cost of compliance. In written testimony, James Seavey, President of the Savers Federal Credit Union in Sankford wrote that he had been unable to fathom the effort and money ADA compliance would entail. But the ramp, widened doors, and accessible teller line recommended by Alpha I cost between $5,000-$7,000. Mr. Seavey wrote that the improvements have brought in new members who had not previously had access and have made access easier for elderly members.

Common Threads

• The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers.
• Various forms of recreation are more accessible.
• People are much more aware of the needs and rights of those with disabilities.
• Merchants are more willing to accommodate customers with disabilities.
• People with disabilities are making gains in employment.

MARYLAND SUMMARY REPORT
MAY 9, 1995

Host organization: Maryland Department of Rehabilitation Services

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Maryland?

Citizens gathered in the Maryland Rehabilitation Center (MRC) to tell their stories about the impacts the ADA has had on their lives. First on most people's list was employment. The ADA has been a boon in the efforts of people with disabilities to find work and succeed on the job.

"I'm very thankful for the ADA," said Ronald Baxter, "for giving me the opportunity to present myself to employers in a positive manner. Baxter has a hidden disability, and he is glad for the protection the ADA provides him against personal, probing questions about his disability. "Instead of focusing on my disability, the interview process can focus on my ability to do the job," Baxter stated.

Rhonda Elsy-Jones, who was once fired for her disability, says that "with the ADA I don't have to answer a job interviewer's questions about my disability. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that anymore," she said.

Joan Ross, an instructor in office technology at the Maryland Rehab Center, has noticed a significant change in the people who are going through MRC's training program these days. "Since the ADA, clients know their rights. The ADA gives them the confidence they need to succeed," she said. And it's a good feeling, she says, when former clients come back to visit as employees. "The ADA works," Ross says. "I've seen it!"

Bonnie Noel, a job developer for Key Point, Inc., says the ADA is making a positive difference in her efforts to help her clients with disabilities find employment. She finds that employers are increasingly receptive to hiring people with disabilities. "I take my hat off to the ADA," she said.

Once hired, people with disabilities are experiencing success in the workplace. "I like my job," said Kerby Hill, who works in the Braille production unit of the Maryland Rehabilitation Center. Hill, who is blind, thanks former President Bush for signing the ADA into law. "Otherwise it would have been tougher to get a job in my field," Hill said.

"The ADA has made my job more comfortable," said Roger Harrison, who works for the Maryland Highway Administration. Special parking and flexible work hours allow Harrison to fulfill his work role. "It's awfully nice to know the ADA is there when you need it," he said.

Jessica Skintges says that in her work she needs a computer she can talk to. "Employers never bat an eye about getting it for me," she says. And of the ADA, she says, "It's a comfort to know it's there, and that it protects me from discrimination."

David Scott says he owes his job at the Maryland Highway Administration to the ADA and the MRC. "The ADA brought me to realize I could do something with my life and not just be an invalid," he said.

In addition to bringing about important gains in employment for people with disabilities, the ADA has also made public accommodations much more accessible, several speakers said.

Marsha Dryden, who felt she had lost everything after beconing paralyzed from a car accident, now finds much to enjoy. "I want to thank the ADA," she said. "Now I can go out with my children to restaurants and movies. I'm not limited to my home any more." It was her faith and the ADA that made her feel whole again after her accident, Dryden believes.

Robert Moors remembers when his wheelchair-using friend could not ride the bus, go to church, shop, eat out, go to the movies, or even get into his apartment without help. "But since the ADA I can go to the movies with friends in wheelchairs and not be turned away," he said. "The ADA has allowed people with disabilities to participate more fully in life," said Moors.

When he could not get into a major shopping mall in his area, Walter Truelove asked why there was no automatic door. The answer, not surprisingly, was "no money." Truelove informed the mall manager about the public accommodations title of the ADA, "and three months later there was an automatic door to the mall," said Truelove.

While many, many people with disabilities are benefiting from the ADA today, Linton wisely commented that there will be a clear need in the United States for the ADA in the future as well. "There will always be disabled people to varying degrees," he commented.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• The employment interview process is more fair to people with disabilities than it was in the past because it allows people to focus on what they can do, rather than on present or past disabilities.
• Employers are becoming more receptive to hiring people with disabilities.
• Through the 'reasonable accommodation' provision of the ADA, many people with disabilities are able to obtain modifications in their work environment and schedule that allow them to work effectively.
• People with disabilities feel more confident that they can succeed.
• People with disabilities who thought they would never be able to work are now holding down jobs and performing well.
• Restaurants, movies, and other social and entertainment activities are more accessible.
• Public transportation for people with disabilities has improved.

MASSACHUSETTS SUMMARY REPORT
MARCH 22, 1995

Host organization: Boston Center for Independent Living
NCD Member: Bonnie O'Day

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Massachusetts?

According to Massachusetts residents, the ADA has affected them in many positive ways. ADA has brought about greater access to employment, transportation, and the arts. In addition, people with often overlooked disabilities such as psychiatric disabilities, and chemical sensitivities have also benefited from the law.

To Butch Towne's employer, his wheelchair is not an issue. Towne reports that his employer, retail chain Home Depot, is committed to complying with the ADA. "I am treated like any other employee," he says, "and whenever I let my supervisor know about barriers at work, they are removed." Towne recalls an occasion when his supervisor saw that Towne could not reach the time clock because a cabinet was in the way. "My supervisor yanked out the cabinet when he realized it blocked my reach," Towne said.

Transportation has also improved as a result of the ADA, people reported. Denise Karuth is one who benefits from the ADA requirement that private bus companies provide accessible buses for intercity travel. Karuth explained that the Intercity Bus Capital Assistance Program, a Massachusetts public-private partnership, has enabled bus companies to obtain new, wheelchair-accessible buses much more inexpensively than they could get them on the open market. "Most people would not think that a blind person who uses a wheelchair could travel independently, hold a job, and be a taxpayer," says Karuth. "But the transportation access requirements of the ADA allow me to make my 220 mile commute to Boston from my home in Northampton several times a month."

Local transportation has also improved as a result of the ADA. Michael Muehe, Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities in Cambridge, reported that the Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority (MBTA) has committed to purchasing accessible trolley cars and to making 85 key stations accessible. "And thanks to the ADA's requirement of accessible public transportation," Muehe stated, "the MBTA ended its policy of refusing to allow people with walkers to use the wheelchair lifts in the stations."

The arts too are more accessible, thanks to the ADA, reports Charlie Washburn. Washburn, who is hearing impaired, described the Massachusetts Cultural Council's ADA minigrant series. The council is making 50 small grants available to arts organizations that make their programs accessible to people with disabilities. Such a program would not have come about, according to Washburn, were it not for the growing public awareness of disabilities that has come about as a result of the ADA.

The ADA recognizes psychiatric disabilities, just as it recognizes a variety of physical disabilities. Judi Chamberlin, who has a psychiatric disability, works with a drop-in and advocacy center run by and for people with psychiatric disabilities. "The ADA is an important law for all of us," she says, "including people with psychiatric disabilities." By including persons with psychiatric problems, the ADA helps remove the stigma of such problems, Chamberlin believes.

Another group most people do not think of when they consider disabilities are those who are chemically sensitive. "Thanks to the ADA and its provision for reasonable accommodation in the workplace, many people with chemical sensitivities are able to remain employed," said Jean Lemieux, whose chemical sensitivity stems from a work-related injury. And because of an increased awareness of disabilities, a conference that dealt with issues of concern to people with chemical sensitivities included several chemically-sensitive speakers who participated through a TV hook-up. The arrangement gave people with chemical sensitivities a chance to educate others.

Pat Dolan is part of a support group for people with multiple chemical sensitivities. "Without the ADA, I wouldn't have been able to find accessible treatment," says Dolan. One hospital's awareness of the need to make health care services accessible allowed Dolan to participate in a program that, she believes, had a tremendously positive effect on her life and health.

Truly, the ADA has made a difference to many people in a number of ways. "I have a disability, and so do my spouse, kids, parents, and sibling," said John Winske, Director of the Massachusetts Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities. He cited many ways in which the ADA has had a positive impact including accessible transportation to work, and signs in stores inviting people with disabilities to ask for help if they need it.

Winske, a Little League coach, also used the ADA to defend his right to be on the field in his wheelchair. After three years of coaching and being accepted by parents and kids alike, he was told by the League president that his wheelchair was not allowed on the field. Winske believed such a rule was a violation of his civil rights under the ADA. He researched case law and found an Arizona case which determined that a person in a wheelchair could be on a playing field.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers.

• Many businesses and citizens are eager to learn about and to help implement the ADA.
• The reasonable accommodation requirement in the employment portion of ADA (Title I) has increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

MICHIGAN SUMMARY REPORT
MARCH 31, 1995

Host organization: Great Lakes Center for Independent Living and Oakland-Macomb Center for Independent Living
NCD Member: Kate Wolters

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Michigan?

A large and diverse group of Michigan residents gathered to tell their ADA success stories to NCD. People had many positive experiences to report in the area of employment, and many also reported that significant improvements have been made in public accommodations as well. And many citizens testified that overall awareness of and receptivity to persons with disabilities has improved greatly.

Throughout the employment process, things are going better these days for people with disabilities. "Looking for a job is much easier than it was in prior years," stated Ann Greco, who has had a disability for 15 years. "Interviewers are much more careful to ask me only employment-related questions. They don't ask about my disability or how I'm going to get to work," she said.

When Mario Elliott went to take a typing test as part of a job application process, he had to take the test sitting sideways because his wheelchair would not fit under the typing table. "I failed the test because of my awkward position, but I asked if I could retake the test under better conditions." Elliott's request was granted. He retook the test at a table that can be raised or lowered, and he passed.

Claudia Jones, a vocational counselor for the Michigan Commission for the Blind, agrees that finding a job is easier for people with disabilities now that the ADA is in effect. "ADA has had an impact on our ability to place people in jobs for which they are competitive," she said. "Employers are expressing a desire to know about what blind people can do and how they do it." Jones explains the assistive technologies available and finds that employers are receptive.

Michelle Rose says she owes her job to the ADA. "But what's even better," she said, "is that once I'm on the job I don't have to be afraid my disability will be discovered." Rose feels she can be honest about her disability, and she has been able to get the accommodation she needs--permission to take vacation days when her disability requires her to rest.

Indeed, getting the word out about the wide range of assistive technologies available today has made a difference in employers' receptivity to hiring persons with disabilities, according to Larry Patton, who works for IBM. Patton runs Tech 2000, a center at which he shows employers and managers various assistive technologies that can help people with different disabilities perform well in the workplace. "When they come in for the half-day course," said Patton, most employers don't know what's available. But once they find out about these assistive technologies, they're more open about hiring people with disabilities. The ADA helps everyone," says Patton.

Several Michigan employers were cited as very willing to comply with the ADA. "At General Motors if you need an accommodation to do your job, it will be provided," said Paul Ulrich, a wheelchair user who has worked at GM for 30 years. Ulrich described a recent new employee, a woman with a bone disorder, who needed a power door to get into the bathroom. "Ten days after her need was made known, the accommodation was made," said Ulrich. And while GM has a history of responsiveness to employees with disabilities, "the ADA has created a positive new atmosphere," he said.

In spite of employers' concerns about the costs of complying with the ADA, compliance actually saves money, according to Chuck Roberts. A social worker and a founder of the Michigan Head Injury Alliance, Roberts told of a 35-year old man who had been out of work for several years because his ankle had been crushed in an accident, and he suffered pain for years afterward. The employer wanted to settle the case by paying the man $30,000. "But we told the company there might be problems with the ADA if they didn't try to bring him back to work," said Roberts. The man was retrained and went back to work in a different job. In less than two months he was back at his old job with no accommodation needed. "Getting him back on the job cost $18,000," said Roberts, "which means the company saved $12,000, or much more if the man had collected workers' compensation on a permanent disability. The ADA saves companies money," Roberts said.

While employment is a key area covered by the ADA, public accommodations are also important, according to Michigan citizens. Willy Brown recounted his experience of entering the Mr. Black International Male pageant in Detroit. "They called me and told me to bring a pair of dress shoes to the rehearsal because they were going to teach us guys to glide across the floor." Brown, a wheelchair user, responded that he's been gliding across the floor for years. "But when they saw me," he said, "they said I didn't fit the pageant criteria." Brown, who had a copy of the eligibility criteria with him, read it aloud and found nothing in it about wheelchair users. "I told them about the ADA, and they figured they'd better let me compete. Brown went on to win the pageant.

The ADA gives people with disabilities the power to advocate for accommodations that are readily achievable. Through his own efforts, Donald Anderson persuaded an Ann Arbor restaurant to put in a ramp and a university auditorium to accommodate his wheelchair. "A lot of times I feel free to advocate because I know I have the law on my side. With the ADA," he said, "I don't have to depend on other people's good intentions.

An unidentified speaker described an experience he had soon after the ADA was enacted. He entered a music store but found the aisles too narrow to accommodate his wheelchair. "I could have gone to another store instead," he said, "but with the ADA in place, I decided to speak up." As a result, the store was remodeled. Racks and displays were moved so that a person in a wheelchair could shop there. "The ADA's a powerful law," the speaker said, "It enables me to speak up and get reasonable accommodations."

Although the ADA has no power over attitudes, they are changing for the better, many speakers said. Churches, for example, are not covered by the ADA, but many are making their facilities accessible anyway. Another unidentified speaker described his experience with his church. At several places in the church--in the front, in the middle, and in the back--the ends of the pews have been cut to create removable seating. "When I enter the church," said the speaker, a wheelchair user, "I can decide where I want to sit, and the usher will simply unsnap the end of the pew of the area where I want to be."

Nancy Fountain, a student at Baker College, wrote a paper for a government class on the ADA and how it had not been implemented at her college. "The professor took my paper to the administration, and they made the changes I asked for," she said. "They put in cups at the water fountain, installed an accessible door, and more," she said, "all voluntarily."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Attitudes toward people with disabilities are improving. People are becoming more comfortable and helpful.
• The job application process is changing, so that qualified applicants cannot be disqualified simply because of a disability.
• Employers are becoming more receptive to hiring people with disabilities. They are becoming aware that most accommodations are inexpensive.
• Travel is getting easier for people with disabilities. More hotels are accessible.

MINNESOTA SUMMARY REPORT
MAY 10, 1995

Host organization: Minnesota Council on Disability
NCD Member: Kate Wolters

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Minnesota?

So many Minnesotans wanted to speak about the ADA's impact on their lives that this Town Meeting ran longer than the time allotted. Public accommodations are the area in which the greatest effects of the Act seem to be felt, followed by employment, transportation, and communication.

One public accommodation that has become much more accessible since the ADA is shopping. And perhaps the epitome of disability awareness is the Mall of America. Dorothy Balen, who uses a wheelchair, says she sees a lot of people with disabilities at the Mall. "But what surprised me," she said, "was when I stopped at Sears and a woman in a wheelchair asked if she could help me. She worked there!"

Marjorie Hammargren has been increasing access to shopping and has been having fun doing it. When she was shopping at Dayton's, a Minneapolis department store, "the racks were so close together that I could barely get my wheelchair down the lingerie aisle," she said. Hammargren did manage to get her wheelchair down the aisle, but only after ending up covered in bras, panties, and slips. "When I came into the light, I was in the millinery section," she said, where Hammargren and a saleswoman had a good laugh. Hammargren explained to the saleswoman how difficult it is for wheelchair users to shop when the aisles are so close together and suggested that some merchandise be moved or eliminated, so that the racks could be moved farther apart. "When I went back to Dayton's a few weeks later," recounted Hammargren, "the millinery section was gone, and the lingerie was more spread out. And it was much easier to shop," she added.

Hammargren also recalled staying in a motel with her sister not long ago. "The owner tried to charge us more because of my wheelchair," she explained. "But my sister said, 'No! You can't! There's a law now!' We didn't pay extra either," exclaimed Hammargren.

The ADA has also made vacation travel easier for 10 year old Freddy Leuchovious and his family. Freddy has spina bifida and uses a motorized wheelchair and sign language. Freddy's mother, Deborah Leuchovious pointed out that Mystery Cave, a tourist attraction in southeast Minnesota "had been made completely accessible," so now all in her family can enjoy it.

Theater is another public accommodation that is opening up to people with disabilities. Eric Peterson, who is blind, enthusiastically described the state community theater association's first fully accessible festival, held recently. "Access to community theater is important," said Peterson, "because theater is a wonderful way to be part of a community." Peterson concluded his comments by quoting Blanche Dubois of "A Streetcar Named Desire" when she breathed, "I've always depended on the kindness of strangers." "But," added Peterson, "I'm glad I no longer have to depend on the kindness of strangers, thanks to the ADA!"

In addition to theater and other forms of enjoyment, outdoor recreational activities are also becoming more available to people with disabilities. Sharon Van Winkle described two important changes in her community of Plymouth, an outlying suburb of Minneapolis. Van Winkle, who is paraplegic, is pleased that local ice skating rinks have been made accessible. "The Parks Department plows snow out onto the ice, so we can drive onto it, and then we just get out of the car and enjoy the ice in our wheelchairs," she said. She cited the wonder of experiencing the ice for the first time.

While ice skating is accessible in the winter, Plymouth's beaches are accessible in the summer. The town has made two lakefront beaches accessible by the use of ramps. "Even the water is accessible," Van Winkle explained, "through the use of portable ramps that can be moved according to the height of the water."

While access to recreation, shopping, and other forms of public accommodations is important to a full life, employment is also vital. And the ADA's employment provisions are one of the most important contributions the Act makes to people with disabilities and to employers. Changes in the hiring process brought about by the law have made a big difference to Mike Arieta. "I could present myself and the accommodation I needed to the employer," said Arieta. "It was a chance to open up, and the employer could brainstorm with me regarding how best to accommodate my disability."

People with disabilities make good employees. Jim Baxter, of the state government, explained that 14 of his 46 employees have disabilities. Not only are the 14 disabled employees good workers, but Baxter found that accommodation has been cheap. "The most we have ever spent to accommodate an employee was $1,900," he said. "A much bigger cost is educating managers about the ADA, about attitudes and awareness," Baxter added.

Melissa Beilke, of the Central Minnesota Center for Independent Living, has worked with a number of disabled individuals who have been successfully accommodated. She described the successes of three of them. One, a woman who lost a hand in a non-work related accident, needed several accommodations to return to work--a telephone headset, a modified computer keyboard, and some furniture rearranged in her office, according to Beilke. The woman's employer, a local government, made all the accommodations, "and the woman has been an exemplary employee," explained Beilke.

Next, Beilke described a man who had a stroke-like impairment that made him partially paralyzed and subject to seizures. "But he was able to retain a competitive wage job," said Beilke. The man worked in a bindery, and the accommodations were all simple and cost nothing. "But however simple the accommodations were," she said, "they wouldn't have been provided without the ADA to back them up."

Beilke's third example was a young man whose disability prevented him from reading. He worked in customer service at a grocery store, rounding up shopping carts and bagging groceries. The young man had a job coach with him at work until he felt comfortable performing all the tasks expected of him.

The ADA is a strong resourse when a person with a disability is discriminated against in the hiring process. Beilke described a client of the independent living center who applied for a job cleaning machines in a machine shop. "He was offered the job," she said, "and the employer enthusiastically showed him around the shop. But when my client told him he was taking medication for schizophrenia, the offer was rescinded on the spot." The client sought help from Beilke, who drafted a letter to the employer commenting that his action may have been a violation of the ADA. "Within 48 hours he was offered the job again," she stated.

The city of Rochester also has an accessible public transit system, according to Dale Palton of the Southeast Minnesota Center for Independent Living. In the city's purchase of accessible buses, the ADA provided the leverage that Section 504 could not, Palton explained. "Half of our buses are fully accessible," he said, "and evening and week-end routes also have accessible buses."

Access to public transportation really makes a difference to people. Gary Smolik, a wheelchair user, says he owes his bachelor's and master's degrees in part to accessible public transit.

Communications are another key area of life addressed by the ADA. The relay service, provided under Title IV, is very well-received. Michael Zeledon, a customer representative with the Minnesota Relay Service, commented, "I've been hearing so many success stories from relay users." Zeledon, who is deaf, explained that users often call to express their appreciation for being able to call friends, coworkers, the doctor, anyone, without having to get someone else to do it. "The relay has brought increased freedom, independence, and privacy," stated Zeledon.

Bobbi Cordano, a lawyer who is deaf and who loves to travel, enjoys making use of TTYs in hotel rooms. "My parents are also deaf," she says, "and now I can just pick up the phone on a whim when I'm traveling and give them a call."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Local public transportation is more accessible, and people are using it.
• Hotels are much more accessible than they were a few years ago.
• All sorts of stores, restaurants, fitness centers, and many other public places have been made accessible.
• People in wheelchairs are being seen in retail sales and customer relations roles.
• Most workplace accommodations are inexpensive.

MISSISSIPPI SUMMARY REPORT
FEBRUARY 2, 1995

Host organization: Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities
NCD Member: Marca Bristo, Chairperson

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Mississippi?

Mississippians told NCD that the ADA has made a difference in their lives, especially for their children's future, and in education, employment, and entertainment.

One parent, Linda Atwood, has taught her child about the ADA so that he can advocate for himself. Linda Atwood, president of the Learning Disabilities Association and the mother of a 14-year old who has motor skills problems, says, "My son knows the ADA and his rights, and he can now use the ADA and IDEA to get what he needs at school. Now his future looks good," she said.

Another parent expressed her gratitude for the ADA. "My son and daughter will have the opportunity to choose who they will be," Evelyn Williams told NCD. Williams and both her children have disabilities, and she says she has made an effort to teach her children about their rights under the ADA. The ADA has opened so many doors that Williams believes her children will have more choices available to them than she herself had. And there is another benefit for Williams. "With the ADA, I finally have a role independent of my husband. I can get into buildings, go grocery shopping, all on my own now," she said.

Lynn Armstrong, the mother of an eight-year old who is deaf, credits the ADA as well as the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) with making it possible for her son to get a good education. "He has had the opportunity to learn to read and become computer literate," said Armstrong. "The world has opened up to him with his ability to obtain an education, read closed captioning, and gain access to interpreters." This mother went on to say that she does not consider ADA a costly mandate. Rather, she said it is preparing her son to become a taxpaying adult.

Deaf children and their parents benefit from the relay service, guaranteed by the ADA in each state. Albert Tusing, principal of a junior-senior high school for deaf students, praised the relay for allowing them to communicate by telephone with their hearing parents. "The relay makes people more independent," he commented.

Charli Carver and her husband, both of whom are deaf, have also benefited from the ADA. In addition to the relay service, interpreters have been important to them. Carver related an incident in which her husband was given a traffic ticket. When he showed up in court, he told the judge that the ADA guarantees him an interpreter. He was given a second court date, "and an interpreter was there," she said.

Although not deaf himself, Mark Palmer has benefited from the advances the ADA has offered people with hearing impairments. "I never got to be a child because I always had to interpret for my deaf parents," stated Palmer. He described the pressure he felt growing up having to hear and speak for his parents. In medical situations, with merchants, with the police, on the phone, even when he was sick, he was continually thrust into the adult role of having to take care of his parents' needs. Palmer recounted how difficult it was to make phone calls for his parents. "People often wouldn't respond to me because they knew I was a kid," he said. But today the situation is much improved. Palmer's parents use the relay service, and they watch captioned TV. "I am no longer required to make sure my parents' needs are met because they can do it themselves."

The ADA has made a difference in the area of employment. David Courtney is proud that he has been working at his job for almost five years. "In May I will celebrate my fifth anniversary of working, and they'll give me a gift because I'm dependable," he said. When Courtney was hired, he had a job coach who worked with him until he could perform proficiently. "I don't have to ask Mom for money because I have a paycheck," he said. "The ADA and IDEA will help other people to get a good education and go to work too," said Courtney.

Donna Smith-Whitty credits the ADA with helping her get reading help and Braille services at work. "A successful person with a disability was once thought of as unusual," she said. "Now successful people with disabilities are the rule, and it's ADA that has opened the door."

Several speakers addressed public accommodations and how they have become more accessible since the ADA was passed. "ADA has transformed the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival!" proclaimed John Brown. Brown, who had been an active participant in the annual festival for years, lost a leg in an accident in 1988. But after that his friends helped him by carrying him into the festival. When Brown called for making the festival accessible to other wheelchair users, he was ignored. He then filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, and since 1993 the festival has been accessible. "That year I saw lots of people in wheelchairs there. When they realized that finally the festival was accessible to them, they showed up," he enthusiastically recalled.

"Because of the ADA, I can more and more enjoy life as a full citizen," remarked Kathy Harper, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Before the ADA, she could never be sure she would be able to get into public places. "I spent a lot of time waiting in the car or just staying home," she said. Harper credits the ADA with making it possible for her to enjoy going out with her friends.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• The ADA, in combination with the IDEA, have been instrumental in making education and an independent future possible for children with disabilities.
• Many people with disabilities feel they are truly citizens for the first time.
• People with disabilities are more independent and can rely on their own efforts in a variety of ways.
• The telephone relay system has made a difference to many deaf people who no longer have to rely on a hearing person to make and receive phone calls for them.
• Movies, concerts, and other forms of entertainment are more accessible now.

MISSOURI SUMMARY REPORT
APRIL 12, 1995

Host organization: Governor's Council on Disability
NCD Member: Jamal Mazrui

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Missouri?

Missourians showed up at their Town Meeting to tell NCD of the many positive effects the ADA has had on their lives. In employment, access to activities in the community, and access to state and local government services, the ADA has been transforming.

The employment provisions of the ADA have helped many people to stay employed. Teresa Stutes O'Neal told about how the ADA saved her job at a grocery store. O'Neal is manic depressive and takes lithium to keep her condition under control. "But the lithium slows me down," she said. "I was beginning to have customer complaints about how slow I was at the register." O'Neal decided to explain her situation to her employer, who, she said, seemed very dubious. "But I said very calmly to him, 'sir, there's a law. It's called the Americans with Disabilities Act, and it gives me the right to work with proper accommodations.'" O'Neal's employer found that he could use her in the floral department. "I worked very well in that department," said O'Neal. "I'm a creative person, and I could set my own pace. I'm just very thankful for the ADA."

One aspect of the ADA has greatly expanded employment opportunities for people with hearing impairments. Leslie Hall, who is deaf, commented that the relay service helps him a great deal at work because it enables him to use the telephone independently. Hall also noted that he knows a deaf man who runs a bakery. Before the relay, the man usually baked a few orders a day, depending on the telephone help he was able to get. "Since the relay service started," Hall explained, "this man's orders have increased four times per day!" Hall cited another deaf friend who is a contractor. "He had problems communicating, but with Relay Missouri," Hall said, "things have become more convenient for him and his business is starting to grow."

Another disability group who have benefited from the ADA's employment provisions are people who are HIV-infected. Thanks to the ADA, said Terry Starkey of the East Missouri Action Agency, individuals with HIV do not have to declare their HIV status to employers. "As the life span and wellness years of HIV-infected individuals increases," said Starkey, "we do not need, nor can we afford, nor do infected individuals wish government funding." By helping people with HIV to remain employed as long as possible, the ADA takes a burden off the taxpayers while enhancing the dignity of infected individuals, explained Starkey.

Judith Parker described some unexpected employment gains that resulted from a volunteer program. Parker, who serves as ADA Coordinator for St. Louis County, told those present about Volunteer Plus, a county program that encourages adults with developmental disabilities to volunteer. The individuals involved did so well in learning new skills through volunteering, that some of them are now in competitive employment, she said. Parker described one young man with autism who was working at an animal shelter doing data entry. "He had never held a job," explained Parker, "but within six months his skill level in doing data entry was so high that he is now in competitive employment.

Parker told of another individual, a blind woman who went through Parker's agency's employment training program. "With the help of assistive-listening devices and a voice synthesizer, she is holding her first job in 43 years," Parker explained proudly. Parker attributes the workplace success of many Volunteer Plus participants to the ADA and the more receptive climate it is bringing about in the workplace.

Some employers are very enthusiastic about the ADA. Randolph Scott, Vice President of Human Resources at Alliance Blue Cross-Blue Shield, commented that his company has made its St. Louis facility fully accessible and has hired many individuals with disabilities. "We had the privilege of being recognized as the Employer of the Year by the Governor's Council last year," Scott said proudly. Scott admitted that many employers are reluctant to commit to hiring people with disabilities because of the cost. But Scott believes "it is far more costly to exclude a portion of the population who can contribute."

While the employment gains that have resulted from the ADA are very important, no less far-reaching have been the increased access to a wide range of commercial, entertainment, and other activities. Jim Jordan, who chairs the advisory council for the Missouri Assistive Technology Project, is blind. "Before the ADA," said Jordan, "it bothered me a lot that I would go into a restaurant and there were no Braille menus, and I always had to rely on someone else to read to me what they had and how much it cost." He cited Perkins and the Black-Eyed Pea, two Kansas City restaurants that provide Braille menus. "This is very important," he added, "because it gives me independence, and I'm able to choose what I want. I can figure out how much it's going to cost me, so I make sure I have enough money."

Jordan also appreciates automatic tellers that use audio speech, so he knows which buttons he is pushing and can operate the machine independently. "I like those types of things because I'm a very independent person," he said. Jordan cited United Missouri Bank and Boatmen's Bank in Kansas City as banks that are accessible to people with visual impairments. And Jordan is glad that many hotel rooms and public restrooms are now marked in Braille. "The ADA is a very important law," added Jordan. "It makes people's lives a lot more efficient, and it makes people feel good about themselves."

Jim McGarry, a student at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, has also been enjoying greater access in the community. "Since the ADA has passed," he said, "I've seen tremendous changes in curb cuts, in ramps, in access to stores, the aisles in stores." McGarry especially likes going out to movies and restaurants and says he has found them, for the most part, to be in compliance with the ADA.

Missouri's state parks are also becoming more accessible to people with disabilities. Jim Crabtree, of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, explained that since his department got complaints that several state parks were inaccessible, he and his coworkers have been working hard to make all its facilities accessible. An ADA advisory committee was formed to work with the Department, and accessibility changes have been made throughout the state's park system. And comments from park users have been positive. One disabled park user who visited Tom Sauk State Park, stopped a staffer to report her excitement at experiencing a high elevation independently for the first time. She was able to reach the highest point in Missouri, located in Tom Sauk State Park.

One of the best things about the ADA, several pointed out, is that you do not have to be disabled to benefit. Although the ADA does not address education, Annelle Weymuth, Executive Assistant to the President of Northwest Missouri State University, Weymuth believes that ADA's greatest contribution in her area is that it has created "a wonderful awareness" on the Northwest Missouri State campus. Weymuth pointed out that anyone carrying a heavy load can appreciate an automatic door, and that someone temporarily on crutches can appreciate being able to park a little closer to buildings until they get off crutches.

In addition to leading to the accessibility of a variety of facilities and activities in the community, the ADA has also increased access to local and state government services. Mary Branham, who has cerebral palsy, finds steps impossible. But since her county courthouse was made accessible last year, "I was able to register to vote for the first time," she said, "and that is a privilege that most people take for granted."

Some local governments are going the extra mile to make their programs accessible to all residents. Park Hills even received an award of $1,500 from the National Organization on Disability for its accessibility efforts, according to John Simmons, Park Hills's ADA Coordinator.

Jim Tuscher of Paraquad, Inc., a St. Louis independent living center, recalled that in the years before ADA when he went to the state capitol building in Jefferson City on business, he had to drive the 100-plus miles to Jefferson City, do his business, and drive back to St. Louis, all without using the bathroom because there were no accessible bathrooms in the state capitol. "That is all history because of the ADA," Tuscher exclaimed. And he added, "the ADA is working. In fact, it's working darn well in Missouri!"

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• Without the ADA, many people with disabilities who are employed would not be.
• Training programs for people with disabilities have led to success in competitive employment.
• People with hearing impairments are finding more success in employment and are getting more promotions.
• A variety of commercial, entertainment, and recreational facilities are now accessible.
• People with disabilities have made gains in motivation and self-esteem.
• Local and state government programs and facilities have become much more accessible.
• Transportation has become more accessible to persons with disabilities.

MONTANA SUMMARY REPORT
APRIL 13, 1995

Host organization: Alliance for Disability and the Students of Montana
NCD Member: Kate Wolters

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Montana?

Montana held its Town Meeting in the form of a teleconference. Based in Missoula, the teleconference allowed for the direct participation of people in Billings, Great Falls, Helena, and Kalispell as well. Montana residents expressed appreciation for the ADA, for the changes it has brought about in many areas. Attitude was the most often cited difference the ADA has made, followed by expanded opportunities in employment, and access to public accommodations, transportation, and state and local services. The ADA, some said, has also been a tool in the implementation of earlier disability civil rights laws.

Attitude changes have been a two-way street. Speakers commented that their own attitudes about themselves are more positive, and the attitudes of others toward them have improved as well. For David Donaldson, a student at the University of Montana, the ADA has given him a feeling of equality. "I'm not ashamed of who I am," said Donaldson, who is blind as a result of albinism. "The ADA helps me to appreciate myself and others more." Donaldson also feels that others have treated him better in the last few years.

Fred Reed, a professor at the University of Montana, and faculty advisor to the Alliance, maintains that the ADA has brought real changes in the attitudes of people with disabilities. "The ADA," he says, "has certified that people with disabilities should ask for accommodation when they need it. "And students have pulled me up short about my own insensitivity to disabilities," Reed added. "That would never have happened before the ADA!"

A dramatic example of an attitude shift was described by Randy Modrel, Co-coordinator of an independent living center in Kalispell. Modrel explained that the local access committee, formed to work with the city government for greater access, invited the public works director to join the group. "He opposed the ADA," said Modrel, "and saw it as interfering with his job." But Modrel and others educated the man about the importance of access and the requirements of the ADA. As a result, the public works director installead curb cuts and parking for people with disabilities. Modrel added that when a new medical office was being built, this former ADA opponent refused to grant a building permit until the builder agreed to build the parking lot at a 1% grade rather than 2%, in order to make it more accessible to wheelchairs.

One of the most important contributions of the ADA is in the area of employment. "The ADA has made it possible for me to maintain my job in a university setting," explained Kristie Madsen, a learning disabilities specialist at the University of Montana. She believes that the ADA is helping people with disabilities to go beyond entry level jobs to obtain professional positions as well.

While employment opportunities have improved as a result of the Act, there is still progress to be made, several said. "It's become a little easier for me to interview and get a job since the ADA," stated Rick Love, who works for the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. "Employers and companies are more aware since the ADA," he added.

More government agencies are hiring people with disabilities, commented Michael Regnier, who works at the independent living center in Missoula. "We've seen some increase in employment opportunities for people with disabilities, as well as better training programs," he said.

Perhaps the most diverse improvements can be seen in the area of public accommodations. Joe Tadisko, of the independent living center in Billings, reported his success in working with Metro Park, a large facility where rodeos and other major events are held. "Metro Park," he said, "has bent over backward to make the place accessible. They put in extra wheelchair seating and made other changes to make the facility accessible," he said. And when the Northwest Fair Owners Association met there, Tadisko explained, he was invited to speak, to tell fair owners from all over the northwest what they need to do to make their fairs accessible. "We were even given a regular column in the Association's newsletter, so that we can discuss access on an ongoing basis," Tadisko said.

As spectator events and fairs are becoming more accessible, so are more simple, everyday activities. A woman identified only as Charla said that getting around is a lot easier today than it was before the ADA. "Ten years ago there were no curb cuts," she commented, "so it was impossible even to go downtown by myself." "The ADA is great!" she said enthusiastically.

Another type of public accommodation that has become more accessible is the church. Although not obligated by the ADA, many churches have been trying, nonetheless, to make their services and other activities accessible. "I'm impressed by the number of churches doing surveys and making changes for access," stated an unidentified woman who works at an independent living center. She remarked that she has gotten a lot of calls from churches for information on increasing accessibility.

Of course in order to get to the various accessible public accommodations or to the workplace, transportation is needed. And the ADA has made great strides in that area, some said. "One thing I'm impressed with is transportation service in Great Falls," said Brian Tawher of the independent living center in Great Falls. "The bus routes take a little longer," he said, "but bus service is available throughout the city." Tawher explained that the city has contracted with a taxi company to fill the paratransit role. "I use it myself," said Tawher.

Joe Herrington is another fan of the transportation improvements the ADA has brought. "Public transportation now isn't perfect, but it's better than before," commented Harrington, an ADA consultant. "I'm grateful for the transportation provisions in the law," he said.

In addition to affecting employment, public accommodations, and transportation, the ADA has also impacted state and local governments. Diane Carroll, of Kalispell, is pleased with the progress her city is making in creating accessible services. "The city hall is being made accessible," she said, "and so are the art center, swimming pool, picnic areas, and park." Cooperation has been great, she said. "In fact, city hall employees willingly went without bathrooms for several weeks while the renovations were being made!" she said.

In addition to its impact on many facets of life, the ADA has also affected prior legislation. Jim Marks, the Director of Disability Services at the University of Montana, explained that the ADA has given teeth to an existing state law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. Marks, who is blind, had applied for teaching positions but had been told that he was too expensive because of the fees required for readers. "I filed a complaint under the state law, but the law turned out to be meaningless because it did not define disability." Then the legislature passed a law to adopt the ADA's definition of disability, Marks explained. "Now the state law has meaning."

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• We have a long way to go in making public transportation accessible, but the changes made in recent years have made a world of difference.
• Attitudes about disability have changed for the better, both among people with disabilities and among people without them.
• A wide variety of public accommodations have become more accessible.
• Existing disability civil rights legislation has been strengthened as a result of the passage of ADA.
• Employment has opened up for people with disabilities.
• State and local governments are making their services more accessible to people with disabilities.

NEBRASKA SUMMARY REPORT
MAY 9, 1995

Host organization: League of Human Dignity
NCD Member: Rae Unziker

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Nebraska?

Nebraskans spoke enthusiastically about the ADA. They emphasized a variety of gains--in public accommodations, in employment, in accessibility to government services, in transportation, and in communications.

A wide range of public buildings have become accessible to people with disabilities as a result of the ADA, according to many who spoke. People really do participate more in community activities when public accommodations are accessible, maintains Ken Mayberry. He cited a facility in York that has been made accessible. "I recently noticed four people in wheelchairs watching a basketball game there," he said.

One business owner indirectly told NCD that the renovations he undertook to make his business accessible cost less than he expected. In a video presented by Sara Fleck of the League on Human Dignity, this individual remarked that he is proud to comply with the ADA. "The changes were easy to make," he said, "and I am pleased that my friend who uses a wheelchair can now come into my store."

Although exempt from ADA requirements, "many churches are widening doors, installing ramps and sound systems that aid the hearing impaired, and making bathrooms accessible," observed Charles Beardslee with the Nebraska Assistive Technology Program. He maintains that the accessibility changes taking place as a result of the ADA in other areas of society "are making churches examine themselves." Beardslee also pointed out that, without accessibility changes, attendance at church functions is often low because some people can't get in the door or can't hear what is being said.

Accessibility in the workplace is also vitally important. Sarah Fleck, in her video, introduced the audience to two individuals with disabilities, along with their employers. One employee, Kathy Soflin, operates a telephone switchboard at Seward Motor Freight. In terms of accommodation, very little is required, and Saflin's supervisor is happy with her work. He said "The cost of the accommodations we made for Kathy didn't really have an impact. They are just tools to do her job," he explained, "and we provide all our employees with the tools they need to do their jobs."

Fleck also visited Paul Heers, an employee at a Wal-Mart store, and interviewed him, along with his job coach and supervisor. Again, accommodations have been minimal. Heers, who does outdoor work, is supplied with a long handled broom, since stooping is difficult for him, as well as a walkie-talkie, so that he and his supervisor can communicate when he is working outside. Heers' job coach explained that Heers' is included in all staff meetings, parties, and other activities. "Paul is a good worker," said his boss. "And accommodating him hasn't taken much. It's been very economical and worthwhile to have him on the staff," he said.

One individual who is very happy to be employed is Mark Booth. Until three months ago he had been unemployed, "but now I have a job, thanks to the ADA, and I have a lot of work," he said. Mark was happy to trade his subsidized housing and food stamps for his job.

Robert Doulas explained how the ADA aided him in his search for employment. "When I applied for a job with the state," reported Doulas, who is blind, "I was told I had to fill out an application." But Doulas knew that, thanks to the ADA, he could submit a resume instead, and the application details could be filled in by a staffperson. "The ADA got me clerical help in filling out the application," said Doulas.

While employment is essential for most people's survival, access to one's government offices and services is essential to citizenship. And local and state government offices in Nebraska are working hard to ensure that all citizens have access to the services government provides. Dwain McLaughlin, ADA Coordinator for Scottsbluff, stated in a letter that the city council voted to make accessibility changes even faster than the ADA peer group had recommended. "We set out to implement the transition process over a two-year period," McLaughlin wrote, but the city council "decided to earmark funds for completing this major project by allocating the entire amount for one budget season."

The ADA has also enabled the state of Nebraska to change a discriminatory policy. Until recently any driver who had lost consciousness in the last year as a result of epilepsy could have his or her driver's license revoked for a year. But, according to Jack Conrad, ADA Coordinator for the state, "we decided to examine such policies to determine whether they were appropriate. "We sought expert information and advice," he said, "and the policy has been changed to just a three month revocation."

At the state capitol in Lincoln, disability advocates worked effectively with the state government to expand parking for people with disabilities. Merwyn Vavrina, a citizen who participates in legislative issues, found the four existing spaces inadequate. He met with Nebraska's ADA Coordinator and representatives of several state government bodies that use the parking spaces near the capitol building, and the result? "Now there are five handicapped spaces in the area where there had been four, and an additional area of handicapped parking will be created on another side of the building," he said. Vavrina added that "the ADA played a big part in this coming about."

For those who do not drive, public transportation is a must if they are to participate fully in their community. William L. Rush, a free lance writer in Lincoln, who uses a wheelchair, explained that before the ADA he was limited to places he could get to in a few-block radius. "But now I can go farther," he stated through an electronic device, "thanks to lift-equipped buses." Rush, who needs to be able to meet with individuals on a spur-of-the moment basis for his writing, found the earlier paratransit requirement that a transportation reservation must be made two weeks in advance entirely inadequate and is glad for the change.

The improved transportation that has resulted from the ADA also plays an important role in Rush's social life. "Now I can meet my girlfriend at K-Mart to shop or meet my church men's group at a restaurant," he says.

Increased opportunities to communicate with other people is a major benefit of the ADA. Norman Weverka, a field representative for the Nebraska Commission for the Hearing Impaired, explained what a remarkable change it is in the lives of people with hearing impairments to be able to pick up a telephone and call anyone, hearing or non-hearing. "People can be more independent," he said, "now that they can make phone calls without help." Weverka also believes the relay is educating people by dramatically increasing the contact between people who are hearing impaired and those who are not.

Common Threads

The following impacts of ADA's first five years were cited by several speakers:

• As accessibility changes have been made, people have noticed more people with disabilities attending performances and other events.
• More municipal buildings and activities are fully accessible.
• Attitudes toward people with disabilities have become much more accepting and accommodating.
• Efforts people with disabilities make to increase accessibility are no longer brushed off, as they often were in the pre-ADA years.
• Access to employment has increased significantly for people with disabilities.
• A number of parks have been made accessible.

NEVADA SUMMARY REPORT
MAY 3, 1995

Host organization: Nevada Rehabilitation Division/Community Based Services
NCD Member: Jack Gannon

What Has the ADA Meant to Citizens in Nevada?

More than 100 Nevadans turned out for their ADA Town Meeting, and many had a lot to say about the law's positive impacts on their lives. In employment and public accommodations the ADA has made a big difference, many people said. Others spoke about the ways in which the ADA has benefited those with mental illness, and still others addressed the law's cost.

"How has the ADA affected my life?" asked Paul Gowens. "I got out of bed this morning and went to work. It wouldn't have happened without the ADA." Gowens, a former Council on Independent Living Chair, believes that in exchange for the right to work, to own a home, and other rights he gained through the ADA, that he has a responsibility to contribute to society as well.

Dana Lescher is a young woman who does not really mind paying taxes because she is happy to be working. A wheelchair user, Lescher recently graduated from a public high school and is now employed at a Disney store in Las Vegas. "I couldn't have gotten my job if it weren't for the ADA," Lescher said.

One mother is especially grateful that her daughter is able to remain employed in spite of the fact that she has AIDS. "Research shows that the longer people with AIDS can remain employed, the longer they live," explained Diane Randall, the woman's mother. Randall expressed her great appreciation for the ADA.

The ADA has closed gaps in the law regarding employment protections for people with disabilities, explained Scott Youngs, Project Coordinator for ADA Nevada. "The ADA has brought a national focus to the need to remove barriers that stand in the way of employment for people with disabilities," he said.

Randy Tower, a technology specialist at the Nevada Community Enrichment Program, has been an employed person with a disability before and after passage of the ADA. When he went back to work 25 years ago after becoming disabled in a car accident, he found an inaccessible, difficult work environment. He suffered a great deal of stress and decided he could not really work after all. "But as the disability rights movement has grown and the ADA was passed, I'm now employed in a friendly workplace," he says. "And I can be comfortable at work."

While employment discrimination against people with disabilities still exists, there is now legal recourse to deal with it, thanks to the ADA. Teresa Fuller told those assembled that her husband Ernie, in applying for a job,