“As a Disabled American who grew up in Mexico, I know firsthand what it's like to grow up without the ADA. The Americans with Disabilities Act is a powerful tool that shifted inclusion from being a favor to being a right that 61 million Americans now have. It is also the inspiration behind the international disability rights movement. Most importantly the ADA changed the conversation about disability from a medical perspective, something to be cured or fixed, to a civil rights movement. It transformed disability into an identity and culture we can be proud of and embrace. There is still a lot to be done, particularly around disability employment, nonetheless the ADA will always be a cornerstone in the disability rights movement, a cultural reference that advocates for decades can lean on to gain inspiration and motivation.”