VOA常速英语:《美国残疾人法案》

Years ago discrimination against people with disabilities often started right at birth. When I was born, a doctor came in to my mom and explained to her my diagnosis in this way, your son is a midget like you see in the circus, so in that one sentence that he said to my mother he's basically laid out my entire future. Okay, just in one second, Lydia boss is busy firing me because I make him uncomfortable. But luckily, times have changed. Woodburn who was diagnosed with dwarfism went on to have a successful acting career, appearing in more than 30 films and making more than 150 television appearances,including the popular TV series Seinfeld, It's little people. you got that. His success reflects the impact of the ADA. The ADA stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the important thing that we would really want everyone to know, is that it's a civil rights law, individuals with disabilities were not part of that protection, and it became evident that they were not being included in ways that other previously marginalized groups were. Signed into law by president George HW Bush in 1990, the ADA provided protection against discrimination to millions of Americans in school, on the job, and in all public and private places. By doing so, it improved access and quality of life for millions.

I think one of the most important things that we look at with the Americans with Disabilities Act is its opportunity to level the playing field, But in the area of employment for people with disabilities, Goss acknowledges that the number remains low. In 2019 less than 20 percent of disabled adults had jobs, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's one reason why more advocacy is needed says Woodburn, and part of my advocacy uh with my own industry has been to change the landscape of employment of actors with disability for example, because the belief system is that for kids, if you can't see it you can't be it, But many of the laws provisions have improved lives, and even benefited those without disabilities. Ramps and curb cuts designed to accommodate wheelchairs, for example, help others. After those were put in place, people started to see more and more mothers walking their babies,uh, in the strollers and delivery persons using those, and text messaging was born out of technology for the hearing impaired. We owe that to the deaf community and their need to have that access. As the ADA celebrates 30 years of advancing the lives of millions of Americans, Woodburn says there's still plenty of room for improvement. We have to be included every step of the way and were just not right now, so my hope is that anyone that has diversity or inclusion discussion um either as an advocate or as a corporate leader, that they always include disability, despite how uncomfortable it might make them feel. Julie Tabo VOA News Washington.