The civil rights movement for people with disabilities reached a landmark on July 26, 1990 with the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. On its 30th anniversary, people with disabilities are celebrating hard-earned victories and are speaking up about the work still to be done and recognizing the historic law intended to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life.

Gary Rubin became a member of Community Access Unlimited in 1990, then known as the Association for the Advancement of the Mentally Handicapped- Union. Rubin experienced chaotic living arrangements and mistreatment living in state-run institutions in the 1980s, and quickly became involved in the Helping Hands advocacy organization, one of the oldest and strongest advocacy groups for people with disabilities in the state, when he joined CAU and began living in a residential program. He became president of Helping Hands and was a founder of the New American Movement for People with Disabilities (NAMPD).

“Before the ADA, you were no one if you had different abilities,” Rubin said. “I was one of the people who made sure it went through, and afterward we talked to people. You don’t want a law to come out and people to take advantage of it. They need to comply.”  Today, Rubin lives on his own, works and remains an engaged disability civil rights activist.

According to Belinda Malave, another CAU member and advocate, the ADA has become frustrating, because the law is not taken seriously by everyone and too often, little is done to ensure compliance and accountability.

“We have work to do – we have a long way to go as far as the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Malave said. She cited difficulties accessing buildings in her wheelchair and discrimination she has experienced in the workplace as a telemarketer. “There are lots of places still not accessible or discriminating 30 years later. There is no reason for any new building not to be accessible because of the ADA.”  Malave has been a longtime, vocal and highly active self-advocate and a strong advocate on behalf of people with disabilities at the system level.

Societal attitudes about people with disabilities began changing in the 1960s with the deinstitutionalization movement.  As the rights of  people with disabilities were slowly recognized and advanced, thousands of state centers housing people with disabilities and people with mental illness, with support from organizations like Community Access Unlimited, were transitioned to become included, participating members and residents in communities. The ADA was modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin – and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Signed into law by President George H.W. Bush, the ADA expanded disability rights beyond federally funded spaces with the intention that people with disabilities could no longer be denied access to jobs, school, transportation, or to public places.

At the signing of the ADA, President Bush gave an impassioned directive, now famously part of the legacy of the ADA: “Let the shameful walls of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”

Helping Hands, founded at CAU in 1984, and the NAMPD, founded in 2012, continue to advocate for the needs of people with disabilities in the United States and empower them to advocate for themselves.

“We want to talk to the governor on Zoom about job opportunities and what’s happening with this virus,” Rubin said. “With the virus going on things are really changing. And it’s people like us who are affected by it.”

Malave has been communicating with people with disabilities by phone to make sure their needs are met while quarantined, she said. Rubin said he is concerned about COVID-19 policies restricting the independence of people with disabilities.

“The ADA has a way to go and we need to do a little bit better,” Rubin said. “We need to do something so we can prevent just being seen but not heard from…I don’t want to feel like that in the 21st century.”

The sounds of different genres of music are as loud as ever this summer, even as most listen to music at home instead of a concert hall. Everyone with an internet connection is invited to listen in together for a week-long virtual concert benefiting Community Access Unlimited from July 6-11.

“It will be a week of nights of music that we hope everyone will get entertainment out of while we are stuck at home, with the added good cause of raising money for CAU,” said Saranya Thana, fundraising and events coordinator at CAU. “Our artists all have different vibes to their music to cater to everyone’s tastes.” 

CAU is a statewide nonprofit that strives to integrate people with disabilities and youth at risk into the general community through comprehensive supports.

From folk-country singer Jesse Lynn Madera and alternative pop singer Sara Ontaneda to handpan artist Dan Mulqueen and jazz guitarist Juan Mungia, a diverse selection of music will be showcased on the CAU Facebook page starting at 7 p.m. each night. Singer Chrissie Limos and electronic artist Matt Pelosi round out the lineup to offer variety for everyone listening. 

Those who tune in are encouraged to donate what they can to CAU to support the agency’s ongoing essential services. From support coordination to behavioral services, the agency has built out remote operations wherever possible and invested in Personal Protective Equipment for staff and members. Essential staff who work directly with people with disabilities and youth at risk continue to support members on a daily basis.

Madera, who lives in Nashville, said was happy to to donate her talent for the benefit concert and hopes listeners find her music hopeful.

“I really love to perform live and I’m not sure how it will translate over the internet, but I really enjoy connecting with people and I hope my music brings some hope to people and some strength when they’re confronting big emotions,” she said. “I like to write about things that are kind of difficult.”

New York City-based jazz guitarist Juan Mungia added that he was eager to share his music with new people online. 

“I hope people can enjoy the music and forget the whole situation of the world for a while,” he said. “For me thats the whole idea od being an artist is to be able to give people an outlet to have a good time. For me I just like to see people happy.”

New York City-based Sara Ontaneda sings in both English and Spanish with a fusion of pop influences. She said she hopes her music will bring listeners peace during these difficult times.

“I’m more than happy to share my music for a great cause,” Ontaneda said. “I believe that everyone should have equal opportunities to live their best life. I really like what CAU stands for and I believe in the work they do.”