My Generation: Youth, the ADA, and Art

By Guest Blogger Lacy Pittman, Policy Analyst, National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)

Historically, people with disabilities were often thought to be inadequate members of society and faced the difficult challenge of fighting for equality. It was assumed that they were difficult to train, risky to rely upon and costly to employ because of medical needs they might have that could raise the cost of office-wide insurance coverage. In an effort to change this negative mindset, individuals such as Justin Dart and Tony Coelho served as key figures in raising disability awareness, as well as in the drafting and passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

The ADA helped to transform the mindset of community figures, who were all too accustomed to prohibiting equal opportunity to people with disabilities in the areas of employment, public service, public accommodations and telecommunications. This monumental legislation was a triumphant victory which informed the nation that people with disabilities are part of society and deserve equal access and status.

As a person with a disability, an advocate for people with disabilities and a policy analyst at the National Council on Independent Living, I understand the critical importance of the ADA – a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination based on disability that ensures that I, along with others, will have the right to work, as well as partake in public accommodations without the fear of discrimination.

In 2009, with the upcoming 20^th anniversary of the ADA in mind, I submitted an application for the HSC Foundation’s 2010 “Advocates in Disability Award.” This award is given to an individual, age 14 - 26, who has made and will continue to make a positive impact and contributions to improving the lives of individuals with disabilities. The award seeks to recognize individuals who are advocates through their deep belief and commitment to the inclusion and empowerment of all people with disabilities. Although it is a $10,000 award and $3,000 is given in appreciation of the winner’s advocacy efforts, $7,000 must be dedicated to a project that furthers the HSC Foundation’s mission.

For my award submission, I envisioned a contest called “My Generation: Youth, the ADA, and Art,” through which individuals with disabilities, ages 16 to 24, could use a creative medium to interpret how the ADA has impacted their lives.

I was delighted when I learned that I had been selected to receive the HSC Foundation Advocates in Disability Award for 2010, and that my contest idea would become a reality! This is extremely exciting to me, because my generation has had the chance to take advantage of numerous opportunities that were never before possible and be considered more equal within society for the first time in history. This is in part due to the ADA and the protection it provides people with disabilities from discrimination, as well as its role in laying the foundation for a more accessible America.

Eligible My Generation: Youth, the ADA, and Art entries include paintings, videos (three minutes maximum), posters (hand drawn or digital), works of literature (four pages, 2000 words maximum, double spaced, 12 point size Arial font) or drawings that illustrate the historical and societal impact of the ADA.

The winner of the My Generation: Youth, the ADA, and Art contest will be awarded $500 in recognition of his or her creative medium and an all-expenses paid trip to the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (A.P.R.I.L.) annual conference in Kansas City, KS (taking place October 29 - November 1, 2010) where he or she will have the opportunity to discuss his/her work, as well as participate in the conference and the youth pre-conference.

If you are an individual with a disability age 16 to 24, who currently resides in the United States and is able to attend the A.P.R.I.L. conference, I encourage you to submit an entry for the My Generation: Youth,  the ADA, and Art contest. All entries must be submitted electronically to mygenerationada@gmail.com by July 31^st at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST).  If you have any questions, please email me (Lacy Pittman) at mygenerationada@gmail.com. For more information and to download a contest application, visit www.hscfoundation.org/mygenerationcontest.php.

Lacy Pittman is a Policy Analyst with the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL). She was raised in Memphis, TN and attended the University of Tennessee (UT), where she was an active participant in the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN), National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN) and the Disability Career Office at UT. Also, she completed a 10-week long internship with the United States Department of Agriculture in the Foreign Agriculture Service as an Agricultural Marketing Assistant through the Workforce Recruitment Program. These experiences greatly influenced her passion for advocating for people with disabilities.