When I was invited to join Jeremy Hobson on The Middle for a national broadcast marking 35 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, I felt the weight and honor of that moment.

This was not just another interview.

This was a national conversation about disability rights, inclusion, policy, progress, and what may be at risk. To be asked to represent the disability community in that space felt deeply meaningful.

I was joined by Callum Borchers, columnist for The Wall Street Journal, and together we unpacked what the ADA has accomplished and where we must go next.

The ADA Changed My Life

Jeremy asked me what the ADA has meant personally.

My answer was simple. It has been the difference between freedom and exclusion.

As someone born with sacral agenesis who uses a wheelchair, the ADA has not been abstract policy. It has been the gateway to participation. It has allowed me to access education, buildings, transportation, and employment in ways that would have been impossible for previous generations.

But I also made this clear during the discussion. The ADA is the entry point, not the end.

Legislation opens the door. Culture determines whether we are truly welcomed inside.

Accessibility Is Strategy, Not Charity

One of the most important parts of the conversation was reframing how we think about accessibility.

Too often, accessibility is framed as expensive, inconvenient, or compliance heavy. I challenged that narrative directly. When we treat accessibility as a burden, we miss the bigger picture.

Accessibility is an investment.

It is an innovation driver.

It is an opportunity to expand markets, strengthen workplaces, and invite more talent into the room.

When businesses fail to build access, they are not saving money. They are losing opportunity.

That is a leadership conversation. That is a business conversation. That is not a side conversation.

Disability Is Broader Than We Think

Another critical theme was the expanding definition of disability. Disability is not only visible. It includes mental health, neurodiversity, chronic illness, and non-apparent conditions.

We heard from callers across the country who shared stories about depression, dyslexia, blindness, aging, infrastructure gaps, education funding, and Medicaid access.

What became clear is this. The world was not built with diverse abilities in mind.

And yet disability is part of the human experience. We move in and out of it throughout our lives. Aging itself changes our abilities.

Universal design is not about special treatment. It is about smarter systems.

Are We Protecting Progress?

We also addressed a hard truth. Progress is not permanent.

There are ongoing debates about funding, DEI initiatives, Medicaid, and disability protections.

There is fear in the community. There are policy shifts that could reshape access.

This conversation was important because it elevated disability rights to a national platform at a time when clarity, education, and awareness are urgently needed.

The ADA was signed 35 years ago in a bipartisan effort that took a sledgehammer to exclusion.

The question now is whether we continue building forward.

Why This Conversation Matters

Being part of this dialogue on The Middle was not about visibility for me personally. It was about visibility for the disability community.

It was about reminding listeners that accessibility is not niche. It is not optional. It is not political theater.

It is human.

If we invest in accessibility early, we expand potential. If we ignore it, we create greater costs later.

Inclusion is not simply a moral imperative. It is a societal strategy.

Thirty-five years after the ADA, I remain hopeful.

Hopeful that we continue educating.
Hopeful that we keep advancing.
Hopeful that we recognize disability not as limitation, but as leadership, innovation, and lived expertise.

This was an important conversation.

And we are just getting started.