Message from Commissioner McCosh: 30th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act virtual rally

A weekly message from Commissioner McCosh in support of the local disability community.

Dear Disability Community Members,

As many of you know, this week marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the groundbreaking civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. The ADA was signed into law on July 26, 1990.

Every year at this time, my office holds our annual “ADA Day” celebration on Boston City Hall Plaza, to celebrate the progress made by our city, state, and country in terms of accessibility. However, this year's anniversary of the ADA has taken on renewed meaning.

We mark the ADA’s 30th anniversary in a time of pandemic and continued confrontation of our nation’s history of structural racism. The disability community has been acutely impacted by the pandemic, and communities of color, where disability prevalence is higher, have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

We recognize the need to go further in our fight for civil rights. The ADA has given people with disabilities a strong foundation of civil rights, but now it's time to build on that. So this year, instead of looking back, we are going to look ahead!

Our work moving forward must reflect our shared commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion of people of color with disabilities. The guiding theme of our 2020 event is:: Equity-Diversity-Inclusion.

My office, the City of Boston Mayor’s Commission for Persons with Disabilities, along with the Boston Center for Independent Living, co-hosted a virtual rally and call to action with local and national disability activists on Wednesday, July 22 at 1:00 p.m. You can learn more and watch a recording of the event here.

We hope to get as many people from the Disability community to attend as possible! For more information contact Bill Henning at BCIL at bhenning@bostoncil.org or 617-338-6665 x 213 or Jessica Doonan at the Commission on Persons with Disabilities at disability@boston.gov or 617-635-3682.

Remember, we are all in this together!

Until next week, please stay informed, stay home, and stay healthy.

Sincerely,