Library Celebrates Anniversary of the ADA

    The New York Public Library celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) July 7 with panel discussions and art performances at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.

    Sixty-five people attended the celebratory events that took place in the afternoon and evening, beginning with the topic “The ADA: On the Personal Level.” Matthew Sapolin, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, opened that panel with a talk about changes resulting from the ADA, as well as New York City laws that go beyond the federal accessibility requirements.

    Brigid Cahalan, Older Adult and Disability Services Specialist at the library, organized the events. “It seems like a landmark anniversary and we just wanted to be part of it and bring the word to people who may not be familiar with the ADA,” she said about the events.

    Professor and author Ruth O'Brien moderated the first panel of speakers, all of whom contributed to a book she edited called Voices from the Edge: Narratives about the Americans with Disabilities Act.

    The panelists included Leonard Kriegel, author of Flying Solo: Reimagining Manhood, Courage, and Loss; Stephen Kuusisto, author of Planet of the Blind; and Achim Nowak, author of Power Speaking: The Art of the Exceptional Public Speaker.

    In the second panel, "Evening Arts Panel: Film, Poetry, Dance, and Discussion,” the audience heard from Roger Ross Williams, director of the Academy Award-winning film Music by Prudence; Gary Glazner, founder of the Alzheimer's Poetry Project; and Heidi Latsky, founder and choreographer of The GIMP Project. Dancers Lawrence Carter-Long and Jeffrey Freeze followed the panel with a performance.

    The library provided Real-time (CART) captioning, assistive listening devices and ASL interpreters.
The events provided guests with networking as well as educational opportunities. Cahalan said Kuusisto was excited to meet Commissioner Sapolin, both of whom have guide dogs. “That was a great encounter,” she said.

    Cahalan said a staff member at the library who is losing his vision was also happy to hear from Kuusisto. “He said Kuusisto’s book had helped him accept his vision loss greatly and he was so happy to hear him live,” she said.

    Another audience member was so inspired by the evening performance of the dance company GIMP that he asked the group to perform at several upcoming festivals for people with deafness. “He said this is just the best art form for people who are deaf, that they would really understand the body language and gestures,” Cahalan said.

    The library planned additional events for July, including a discussion about disability, access and law with Joel D. Ziev, Ed.D., Director of Partners for Access, and Ted Finkelstein of the NYC Commission on Human Rights on July 14.

    On July 21, the library planned to host a panel on hearing loss and the ADA. On July 28, United Spinal Association President Paul J. Tobin and disability rights activist Carter-Long were scheduled to speak on the topic, “Twenty Years of the ADA: A Look Back, A Look Forward, and Where We Are Now.”

    This article was published in the August 2010 issue of Able News.