WENY News, July 23, 2010, Friday

WENY News

July 23, 2010, Friday

WENY News

Disability Act Turns 20, More Work To Be Done (VIDEO)
Ted Fioraliso


ITHACA -- People with disabilities -- they come in all shapes and sizes. Some you may notice -- others, you may not.
Erin Sember was born with a hearing disability. She wears a hearing aid, and has a "hearing ear" dog, named Maggie. She's also an employee at Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations and very knowledgeable in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which celebrates its 20th Anniversary on Monday.
“What [ADA] basically says is, no longer would anybody be discriminated against or denied access or services based solely on the fact that they have a disability,” said Erin.
Everyday, Erin takes that knowledge to the phones. Cornell is one of ten ADA centers across the country. Erin helps people -- and employers - understand the law.
“Some people with disabilities are not aware that they have the rights they have,” she said.
Although the ADA has helped install things like automatic doors, handicapped bathrooms, ramps, and special parking spaces at workplaces, Erin says there's still more work to do. Only about 20-percent of people with disabilities are currently in the labor force.
“Unfortunately, the other reality is there are a lot of employers who are still unwilling or uninterested in hiring someone with an obvious disability,” said Erin.
Erin says one thing we can all do to be more inclusive is to use the term "people with disabilities," rather than "disabled people."
“Because then you're acknowledging that the person comes first, before the disability, which is part of their identity,” she explained.
If you have disability, and you want to know more about your rights, or if you're an employer who wants to know about hiring people with disabilities, you can call the ADA’s Northeast Center at 1-800-949-4232, or CLICK HERE.