海角社区

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law only 33 years ago on 26 July 1990, codifying civil rights protections for people with disabilities and prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities. For information regarding Accessibility at 海角社区, please reference the 海角社区鈥檚 Accessibility philosophy and statement.

Changemakers:

The 海角社区 community already has changemakers actively making 海角社区 more accessible. Here are just a few:

  • 鈥淒isability advocate changes how Colorado thinks about equality in education and employment,鈥� 海角社区 RED
  • 鈥淭his future teacher is dedicated to opening STEM to students with disabilities,鈥� 海角社区 RED
  • : 鈥淜ids and adults who are blind and low-vision get hands-on STEM training,鈥� 海角社区 RED

Local Links:

The Denver Metro area has been a hub for disability rights for several decades. Learn more about the local accessibility community through the links below:

, established in Denver in 1975, states their core philosophy as: 鈥減eople with disabilities should have just as much say in and control over their lives as their non-disabled peers.鈥� Guiding people with disabilities to determine and achieve their own goals is a core focus of Atlantis. On 5 July 1978, Atlantis organized what became known as the Denver Gang of 19 protest where 19 protesters who used wheelchairs blocked two RTD busses for 24 hours, snarling traffic and bringing public and media attention to the severe lack of wheelchair-accessible public transportation. RTD eventually agreed to retrofit a third of the bus fleet with lifts. However, public transportation was not included as part of essential rights until Title II of the ADA 12 years after the Gang of 19 protest.

(American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today), a nationwide disability rights organization, started as an offshoot from the Denver Gang of 19 and the Atlantis Community. Originally called Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit, the organization now pushes for disability rights in various aspects of public and private living.

Continuing the Fight

Unfortunately, the rights established in the ADA are still not guaranteed. Much of society is still closed to people with disabilities. The following list is just a few of the barriers people with disabilities encounter

  • In February 2023, had to pull himself onto an inaccessible stage for a debate, which eventually ended up being held on the floor because organizers could not get his chair on stage safely.
    • Note: , updated its website to be more accessible, and updated their ticketing system to highlight accessible seating.
  • Also in February 2023, while the Super Bowl was praised for featuring singer Rihanna who was pregnant at the show, the Super Bowl had also advertised that there would be performances from Troy Katsur, three artists who are deaf but very little TV broadcast time featured these performers. The were available online on YouTube, but fans were not impressed with the separate availability.
  • 鈥� can be hit or miss. Here’s what some wheelchair users say they’ve faced while trying to get rides,鈥� Denverite, the Denver site!

Proactive Accessibility

The CTLD encourages faculty to take a proactive approach to accessibility where accessibility is built into all aspects of courses from the ground up. It is much easier to start with an accessible design than to have to go back later and remediate inaccessible course elements.

Other Resources