Tomorrow—July 26, 2025—marks thirty‑five years since President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. Earlier this month I rolled the length of the National Mall, tracing smooth marble paths that did not exist for wheelchair users a generation ago. At every monument I felt the pulse of history: soldiers who fought abroad, suffragists who marched at home, protesters who locked their wheels to Capitol doorways so civil rights could not be ignored. Their sacrifice reminds me that freedom is never a finished product, it is a living project, one we inherit and one we must expand.
35 Years of the ADA: From Protest to Possibility
The ADA was born of curb‑cut protests, overnight sit‑ins, and the radical insistence that liberty rings hollow without access. Two architects of that struggle guide me daily: Judy Heumann, whose raspy laugh disguised a spine of steel, and Ed Roberts, who turned a Berkeley dorm room into the first Center for Independent Living. They proved disabled people could be architects of policy, not merely its beneficiaries. Earlier this month, as I delivered the opening keynote at WAWABILITY 2025, I echoed their call by framing inclusion around three pillars, belief, belonging, and becoming. Belief in our innate worth, belonging in every room where decisions are made, and becoming the fullest expression of our talents. The ADA gave us a legal framework; Judy and Ed handed us a cultural compass. I feel their presence whenever heavy auditorium doors swing open at my touch, or a colleague captions their slide deck without being asked.
July on the Move: Voices, Stages, and Airwaves Alive with Pride
That compass steered me through a whirlwind July. I began with Jewish Family Services of Metro Detroit, where high‑school volunteers swapped allyship tips with octogenarian activists. A week later I returned by popular demand to Victoria’s Secret & Co. for our second conversation on building inclusive retail experiences. From there the itinerary unfurled faster than a boarding pass: ITC Holdings explored universal design in the energy grid; cybersecurity leader Presidio examined digital accessibility; wind‑power giant Vestas connected green tech and disability representation; Alta Housing discussed affordable, inclusive communities; and the City of Charleston capped the sprint with a waterfront town‑hall. Each crowd brought fresh questions—about policy, technology, humor, and hope—and each time I walked away with new stories to fold into future keynotes.
Between flights I stole studio hours to record four new episodes of Pushing Forward with Alycia. July’s lineup amplifies Tiffany Yu on the economics of community, recording artist Marsha Elle on body positivity, rare disease‑advocates Kelly Berger & Avery Roberts on living with congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD), and business strategist Jonathan Kaufman on his life’s passion to further workplaces where everyone thrives. Their insights crackle with urgency and optimism. Next week we’ll release Episode 100, a milestone my younger self could scarcely imagine. Add a handful of magazine interviews celebrating Disability Pride, and it’s no wonder I sometimes must pinch my arm to be sure this is real.
Beyond the Anniversary: Recommitting to Radical Inclusion
Anniversaries invite celebration, but without renewed resolve the confetti settles into complacency. The ADA at 35 challenges us to safeguard its hard‑won gains and stretch its horizons. Accessibility must evolve from checklist to creative instinct—baked into every blueprint, budget, syllabus, and screenplay. That means inclusive procurement, investment in adaptive technology, and disabled leadership at every decision‑making table. It means mentoring so the next generation sees themselves not merely accommodated but fully empowered.
Judy Heumann reminded us that change rarely happens at the pace we prefer. Our task is to pick up that tempo. Tomorrow I will toast three and a half decades of progress; the day after, I will audit websites for alt text, meet policy teams, and outline the next keynote. I invite you—partners, listeners, friends, and allies—to join me: caption your videos, hire disabled talent, vote for inclusive leaders, and share your own story. Thirty‑five years in, the promise of the ADA is still unfolding. Together, let’s keep pushing forward—boldly, proudly, and relentlessly—until possibility is universally accessible. Here’s to the next 35 years of rolling, reaching, and redefining what inclusion means for everybody and every dream.