On July 26, 1990 the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed into law that prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities.
There are countless Americans with disabilities that have contributed, enhanced and changed our way of life. In honor of this month, we at Budd Van Lines thought we would highlight just a few of these important people.
Temple Grandin is an author, animal welfare and autism advocate. While not formally diagnosed until she was in her 40s, she became a fellow at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and won an award from PETA for advocating for more humane treatment of animals.
Maya Angelou was a Civil Rights activist who transformed the literary world with both her poetry and her memoirs. She developed selective mutism as a child after experiencing a traumatic event. Angelou was awarded the National Medal of Arts and Presidential Medal of Freedom for her essential work.
Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the longest-serving U.S. president, who was elected to office four times before a two-term limit was put in place. He enacted the New Deal, which was the first series of public relief programs and regulations put forth to help the economy recover after the Great Depression. He mainly relied on a wheelchair after surviving a bout of polio, something that he mostly hid from the American public which speaks to the negative attitudes towards those with disabilities at the time.
Helen Keller broke down many barriers, notably being the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree. She was an advocate for people with disabilities, as she helped found the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920. For many blind, hard of hearing and deaf children, she was a pioneer and a reminder that our disabilities are not a hindrance but part of who we are.
Sojourner Truth was a woman’s rights activist who also fought for the inclusion of Black women in the suffrage movement. One of her most notable speeches was “Ain’t I a Woman?,” in which she highlighted the different levels of oppression that Black women face. While enslaved, she injured her hand, which made it hard for her to use it. She was the first Black person to have a statue in the U.S. Capitol building.