Mayor Michelle Wu on Wednesday marked the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act by introducing a more comprehensive way to collect data on residents with disabilities as part of city hall’s efforts to prioritize accessibility and inclusivity.
The new standard was led by the Boston Commission on Disabilities in collaboration with the Department of Innovation and Technology to create a common format for all city departments to collect data on people with disabilities. The city is home to 78,000 people with disabilities.
The city said previous efforts to collect data on people with disabilities were too limited. The new method will collect more meaningful data, such as how people with disabilities want to be identified and what accommodations they need, to ensure city services are accessible and inclusive.
In July 1990, Congress signed the ADA into law, protecting the rights and providing equal opportunity for Americans with disabilities. The law prohibits discrimination in all aspects of public life, including the workplace, schools, transportation, and all places open to the public.
Now in its 14th year, ADA Day featured a variety of booths in Boston promoting disability education and resources, including representatives providing information from the Boston Center for Independent Living and the American Hearing Hardship Association. Approximately 300 people attended.
Franklin Pineda Lopez works at the Boston Center for Independent Living and said the event was a great opportunity to educate others about the opportunities and supports available to people with disabilities.
“It just brings great awareness to people who don’t know anything, especially people of color and ethnic minorities, who don’t know what’s going on in the outside world,” Pineda Lopez, 34, said.
At the age of 2, Pineda Lopez was hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street, leaving her paralyzed and dependent on a motorized wheelchair. As a Latino, she sees embracing other languages ​​as part of the outreach that’s needed.
“Especially if you come from a third-world country and don’t know the language, what are your chances of suddenly being part of the disabled world?”
Avery Meram and Marley Robinson were at ADA Day to draw attention to Bolt hockey, an adaptive sport for people with physical disabilities. Meram is the coach of Robinson’s team, the Boston Whiplash. Both were born with disabilities; Meram is deaf and wears a cochlear implant; Robinson has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a power wheelchair.
Meram, 20, said coming together at events like this shows able-bodied people that the need for accessibility is greater than they might think.
“When people see someone on the street in a wheelchair or with a cochlear implant, they often think, ‘Well, that’s just one person,'” she says. “By forming a group, it better shows the magnitude of the need for accessibility and shows that everyone can benefit in some way.”
Boston Office for People with Disabilities Executive Director Kristen McCosh (right) speaks while Stephanie Haklin provides sign language interpretation during the Americans with Disabilities Act Day celebration (Photo by Andrew Burke Stevenson for The Boston Globe)
“We expect this new data standardization will allow us to ask people what they really need, which will lead to greater efficiency in planning and delivering programs, events and services,” Disability Commissioner Kristen McCosh said in a statement.
Robinson, 24, said that without the ADA, her daily life would be significantly limited: As a power wheelchair user, she wouldn’t be able to enter most buildings or ride public transportation.
“If the ADA didn’t exist, I’d probably just be stuck at home doing nothing,” Robinson said.
Contact Natalie La Roche-Pietri at [email protected]. Follow her Natara Roche.