Return to Home PageI will always consider knowing Justin Dart, Jr. one of my great privileges. Rarely does one ever meet a true American hero. But Justin was more than an American hero, he was larger than life in every way. He was a civil rights leader, a visionary thinker, a dynamic orator, a friend of Presidents and ordinary folks alike, a citizen who embodied tremendous love for his country and our national principles, and an honest to goodness patriot. Justin overflowed with character, and a personal conviction dedicated to justice, equity, and fairness. Justin dedicated his life to elevating the inherent dignity of all people, and did so with great love and respect.
Justin's greatest professional legacy was the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the historic civil rights law that removes the arbitrary barriers which exclude disabled people from the economic mainstream and social life of society. Few can disagree with the fact that without Justin, there would be no ADA. As Justin would often say, the ADA was the disability community's Emancipation Proclamation. But what is important to remember is that Justin spent his life engaged in the civil rights struggles of all people, not just disabled people. He was a civil rights visionary in the broadest and truest sense of the word.
Suffice it to say that Justin was not a quiet, behind the scenes type of advocate. One of his favorite sayings, was, "lead, or get the hell out of the way!" He was the kind of leader who was not just front and center, he was most comfortable standing side by side with grass roots advocates and every day citizens who make change happen.
We celebrate this anniversary of the ADA in large part because of the work Justin accomplished, and the work of others he inspired, trained, and supported. For the past twelve years, we have come to recognize the tremendous significance of the ADA, not only for the one in five Americans who have a disability, but for all Americans. The ADA is part of an evolution toward a major change in how work gets done in the American economy. Principles of accommodation embodied in the ADA create a more tolerant and productive work environment for all employees, disabled and able-bodied alike. The ADA not only creates a better workplace, but enhances personal and family values. It stands as a beacon for justice in the United States, and as a symbol around the world for the equality and dignity of disabled people.
Americans recognize the value that the ADA has added to their lives, whether they have a disability or not. The National Organization on Disability recently released the results of a Harris Poll study that shows that 77 percent of the American public is aware of the ADA, a significant increase over even the last three years, and that an overwhelming 93 percent of those people "approve of and support" the law. This is tremendous news for people with disabilities. It is evidence of the positive effects of the EEOC's enforcement of the ADA over the past ten years. The public recognizes the contributions that people with disabilities can and do make, not only in the workplace, but in society at large.
However, our challenge continues. Despite the high level of awareness and support, disabled people continue to have the highest unemployment rates and make up the largest number of people living in poverty of any group in American society. There is much work ahead for the EEOC in enforcing this revolutionary law and in ensuring that the promises of the ADA become reality for the millions of Americans with disabilities and their friends and families.
The ADA is gradually removing barriers that have kept generations of Americans with disabilities excluded from mainstream employment. And perhaps most importantly, the law and the attention for disability rights that it has attracted have dramatically increased the expectations of the generation of young people with disabilities who are now graduating from high schools, colleges, universities, and vocational and professional schools.
These young people, represented today by college student Kim Borowicz, are the future of the disability rights movement, and they will do well to remember the history of the civil rights movement as they continue their struggle. As Justin once stated, "Our forefathers and mothers came to this country because it offered unique legal guarantees of equal opportunity. They got rich, and America got rich. Every time we expanded our civil rights guarantees to include another oppressed minority, America got richer. America is not rich in spite of civil rights. America is rich because of civil rights."
We are all richer today because of Justin Dart, Jr. and the passage of the ADA. I can think of no more fitting tribute on the twelfth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act than reflecting upon his extraordinary life.
This page was last modified on September 24, 2002.