© 2024 KRWG
News that Matters.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Southern New Mexico Celebrates The 25th Anniversary Of The ADA

http://youtu.be/5wko7n6mO-E

25 years ago, the American’s with Disabilities Act was signed into law guaranteeing civil rights to people living with both physical and mental disabilities. A celebration and fair held at Doña Ana Community College was held in honor of the anniversary.

John Johnson lost his hearing while working in the military in the ‘70s; he says he remembers some of the difficulties he faced before the American’s with Disabilities Act.

“Basically, they would just look at you and say if you can’t do your job your fired,” Johnson said. “So, it’s made a huge difference. Especially for the deaf community and the hard of hearing community because that’s an invisible disability people don’t see it. So it’s an out of sight out of mind type thing.

ADA coordinator for Doña Ana County Meg Haynes says the passing of this law gave anyone living with a disability the right to be treated equally.

“It gives people with disabilities civil rights,” Haynes said. “Just like Title VII gives people of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, all that. It gives civil rights to people with disabilities, and so in employment practices also in services provided to them.”

John Johnson said the act helped him greatly in business because employers had to provide accommodations. He now works with the Commission for the deaf and hard of hearing and says many times people don’t know what they are entitled to.

“There’s a huge ignorance there,” Johnson said. “Especially for the younger generations. If you stop and think about it, you’ve got a 16-year-old kid whose hard of hearing or deaf, they go to work at McDonald’s, or Burger King, or some restaurant, and they’re clueless about their rights under the ADA.”

Martha Trujillo works for the office of student accessibility services at Doña Ana Community College, she says many times students with disabilities aren’t aware of the accommodations they are able to supply.
 
“A lot of the times people with disabilities believe that they cannot overcome the challenges that they are facing for their disability,” Trujillo said. “But when they come over to our office we visit with them, we look at their diagnosis. They have been diagnoses by professional individuals. We offset the effects of those disabilities with learning accommodations that put them at the same level as anyone else.”

Meg Haynes says that community fairs like the ADA celebration help to solve these problems by helping people living with disabilities learn exactly what rights and services are available to them.

“With having these events people really get the information that they need.” Haynes said. “A lot of times people with disabilities don’t know what’s available to them, so this type of event really gives that information out to people.”

This was the 4th annual ADA celebration, and Haynes says it grows every year.

Samantha Sonner was a multimedia reporter for KRWG- TV/FM.