RAPID CITY, S.D. – One in four. According to the CDC, that is the number of Americans who currently live with some kind of disability.
Since it was signed into law the Americans with disabilities act has offered protections to millions of Americans living with disabilities.
Patrick Czerny Chairman of Rapid City’s Disability Awareness and Accessibility Committee, said, “At one point in everyone’s life, either them or someone in their family will be affected by a disability, and so in that regard, this landmark legislation that was passed in 1990 affects all of us.”
Several organizations in Rapid City are set up specifically to help people living with disabilities participate in their communities and the ADA helped these organizations expand what opportunities were available to them.
Tamie Hopp is Vice Chair of the Disability Awareness and Accessibility Committee and the Director of Philanthropy for Black Hills Works. She said, “We support nearly 600 people with disabilities, helping them live, work and play in our community and for that to be possible we need an accessible community. Certainly, the Americans with Disabilities Act has been a game changer over these past 33 years in making that possible.”
Black Hills Works helps people with disabilities with everything from employment and housing to arts programs. The ADA has also helped organizations like Project Search work with employers to make the hiring process accessible and open up opportunities people with disabilities might not have had otherwise.
Heather Hoeye is the Director of Project Search of the Black Hills. She said, “If I have an issue, or there’s a student that maybe can’t read or there is someone that doesn’t understand the hiring process, there are numbers you can call to make sure that it is equitable.”
Access to these jobs, public spaces and opportunities continue to help millions of Americans participate more fully in their communities every day.
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