OPINION: When 'different' is beautiful

Published on July 30th, 2010

By MELISSA KOMPKOFF

When 'different' is beautiful

Happy anniversary to the ADA!

I would like to invite everyone in our community, the state of Alaska and this great nation to celebrate an event that has and will continue to change the lives of at least one person each of you know.

I am talking about the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). This July marks two decades since President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law on July 26, 1990. Today America has become a nation educated and we have seen attitudes and access improve by leaps and bounds. However, we have a long way to go before we can consider ours a nation of equality for all.

The ADA is a means by which those experiencing disabilities gain access to buildings, programs and services once closed to them. People with a variety of disabilities are more likely to be able to enter into an establishment to shop for groceries or pay utility bills by having improved physical access. Some of these simple modifications for access are wider doorways or possibly automatic door openers, designated parking near a building's entrance and a safe accessible route from designated parking to the door, have access to technology and sign language interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing.

We have also seen an increase in employment opportunities due to making the discrimination against and "screening out" of people with disabilities illegal. The ADA mandates state and locally funded public housing have specific units built that meet the needs of individuals who experience disabilities, such as providing ramps, grab bars, flashing lights instead of door bells for the deaf and the installation of other equipment to improve access and livability.

Some small business owners see the ADA as a thorn in their sides and are unaware of the tax incentives available to help them meet the ADA requirements for accessibility. There are tax deductions (up to $15,000) and tax credits (up to $5,000) to help small businesses comply with multiple issues of accessibility -parking, ramps, communication, etc.

There was a time when individuals experiencing conditions such as schizophrenia, hearing impairments, vision loss, amputations, mental Illness and those with mobility impairments were considered dirty little secrets and kept out of the public eye so public access was not something people worried about. Those days, in my experience, are gone and I am glad.

Recently an act of pure understanding and compassion took place in Seward, Alaska. My son, a young man who experiences multiple and severe disabilities, was given his own graduation by his high school as it was possible he would not live to attend the one scheduled for the class of 2010. This was the most moving thing to witness. The senior class joined him on stage in cap and gown and selflessly allowed him to graduate without them while the rest of the school served as witness. The community support was overwhelming, as was the fact that our Gov. Sean Parnell, state Rep. Paul Seaton and our own Mayor Willard Dunham were also in attendance. This young man is very blessed to live in a time and community where eyes are beginning to open, and hearts are beginning to soften toward those who were once considered "different."

It is my hope that one day all of America will understand that "different" is beautiful and deserves equality and that this equality is the simplest method by which one can explain the purpose of and the outcome afforded by the ADA.

My co-workers and I will be doing our part as employees of the Independent Living Center to push forward the rights set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act and challenge you to do the same thing.