ADA Celebration
by Bernice M. Kandarian
This year the disability community is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law July 26, 1990, by then President George H. W. Bush.
Radio and TV interviews, and lots of "zoom calls" are happening throughout July, involving our old friends who were around at that time, and the George and Barbara Bush Foundation at Texas A and M University in College Station, Texas is having a major celebration.
One of my fondest memories was the actual signing of the Act on the White House lawn by President Bush with four persons with disabilities on the platform surrounded by hundreds who had been involved in bringing the ADA to fruition.
Most notably I remember Representative Tony Coelho from California and Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa who had sponsored the ADA in their respective houses of congress. Tony has epilepsy and was barred from becoming a Roman Catholic priest. Tom's brother was deaf. Such amazing congressmen! I knew all four of those on the podium to one degree or another.
Paul Schroeder and I shared a volunteer reader when Paul was an undergraduate at American University. He went to Ohio, attaining a masters degree before returning to the District of Columbia and becoming the director of Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind, then doing legislative work for the American Foundation for the Blind. Currently, Paul works for AIRA.
Justin Dart, known as "Godfather" of the ADA, used a wheelchair as a result of polio. Justin always had on a suit and tie with cowboy boots and cowboy hat with an American flag pin on the headband of the hat. One day when Roger and I were boarding a United Airlines plane, we saw the name Justin Dart in big letters between the door and cockpit. We commented to Justin who said his father was on the board. His mother's maiden name was Walgreen. Her family owned some drug stores. So Justin mentioned he started a business in Japan selling Tupperware which allowed him some financial independence, so he and his wife Yoshiko traveled in all fifty of the United States assessing the need for what became the ADA.
When ACB created our life membership, Justin Dart was at that general session calling for someone to take his check, making him the first ACB Life member.
Evan Kemp started feeling muscular discomfort at age twelve. He was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and told he would only survive two more years. Evan continued his education, graduating from the University of Virginia law school. He sought employment from thirty-nine law firms but was not accepted. He got a federal government job and was given the accommodation of using the garage elevator, but not the accommodation of parking in the garage, so he had to struggle to walk into the garage to the elevator. One day the garage door came down on him, injuring him badly. Evan sued the federal government successfully.
President Ronald Reagan appointed Evan to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and President George H W Bush appointed him chair of the EEOC.
Evan's condo was three blocks from my apartment building, and I learned when he would have a party, inviting friends to come and bring more friends, that is how we met.
Reverend Harold Wilke was born without arms. He introduced himself to Roger at a luncheon by way of apologizing in advance should he knee Roger while eating with his feet. Reverend Wilke accepted one of the pens from President Bush, adroitly reaching for it with his foot. His organization, The Healing Community, played a major role in making churches part of the ADA's effectiveness.
These individuals stand out in my memory when someone mentions the ADA.
