35 Years of the ADA: Progress, Promises, and What Still Needs to Change

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—a landmark civil rights law signed on July 26, 1990. It was created to ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA covers everything from buildings and transportation to jobs and communication.

A lot has changed in 35 years. But for many of us—especially people with invisible disabilities, like communication disorders, sensitivity to noise and neuro fatigue- there are still real barriers.

A Short History of the ADA

Before 1990, discrimination based on disability was widespread and often legal. People were routinely denied jobs, education, or access to public places just because of a disability.

The ADA changed that. It was a hard-fought victory, pushed forward by disability rights activists who demanded equal treatment and full inclusion. When President George H. W. Bush signed it into law, he said:

“Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”

The Four Titles of the ADA

The ADA is divided into four main titles, each addressing a key area of life:

1. Title I – Employment:

   
   

   Employers must provide reasonable accommodations and cannot discriminate based on disability.

   
   

2. Title II – State and Local Government:

   
   

   Public services like transportation, courts, libraries, and schools must be accessible.

   
   

3. Title III – Public Accommodations:

   
   

   Businesses like restaurants, hotels, stores, and theaters must be accessible to people with disabilities.

   
   

4. Title IV – Telecommunications:

   
   

   Phone and internet services must be accessible. This includes relay services, captioning, and TTY (Text Telephone) support.

What About Invisible Disabilities?

A major gap in public understanding is that not all disabilities are visible. Many people assume that disability means using a wheelchair or a cane—but invisible disabilities are just as real.

These include:

• Speech and language disorders

• Neurological conditions

• Cognitive or learning disabilities

• Chronic pain or fatigue

• Mental health conditions

Because these aren’t seen, they are often overlooked, misunderstood, or dismissed. People might assume you're fine, lazy, confused—or simply ignore the need for accommodations altogether.

This is one of the hardest parts of living with a communication disability. People may not understand that I want to speak clearly, or that writing or typing takes a huge amount of effort. The ADA should protect us too—but awareness is still catching up.

Communication Disorders and the ADA

The ADA is supposed to help people with communication disorders like aphasia, apraxia of speech, and dysarthria—all of which I live with. The law is clear: we have a right to effective communication. That means we should be able to understand and be understood, just like anyone else.

This could include:

• Speech-to-text apps or communication devices

• Written or visual information when speech or reading is challenging

• Trained staff who know how to communicate with people with speech and language differences

• Remote captioning or interpreter services for appointments and interviews

  
  

In theory, the ADA should give me support for employment, transportation, local government services, and telecommunications.

But in practice, it’s not that easy.

Some Provisions Do Exist—for Some of Us

I want to acknowledge that some provisions for invisible disabilities already exist—and they do help some people:

• The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program: In some U.S. airports, train stations, and venues, you can wear a sunflower lanyard to quietly signal that you have a non-visible disability. Staff are trained to offer support without needing an explanation.

• Disability Priority Lines: Some businesses, airports, amusement parks (like Disney), and federal buildings offer shorter or separate lines for people with disabilities—including those with invisible needs like fatigue or cognitive processing.

• TTY and Relay Services: These allow people with speech or hearing challenges to communicate by typing or using relay operators—still a vital service under Title IV.

• Walmart Quiet Time: Some Walmart locations now offer sensory-friendly shopping hours, where lights are dimmed, music is turned off, and announcements are limited—helping people with sensory processing challenges feel safer and calmer.

• The Rhode Island Autism Project and Police Partnerships: Police departments in Rhode Island and other areas are being trained to better recognize and safely respond to individuals with autism or communication-related disabilities.

• Virginia’s Optional Disability Indicator on Driver’s Licenses: Individuals can choose to add a disability code to their license or state ID. This helps police or first responders understand communication difficulties without needing explanation in high-stress situations.

• Emergency Contact and Medical Info on State IDs: In some states, optional indicators or linked medical profiles can help alert authorities about hidden disabilities in emergencies.

• Quiet Rooms and Sensory Spaces: Found in some airports, libraries, stadiums, and museums, these offer low-stimulation spaces for people with anxiety, PTSD, migraines, autism, or processing disorders.

• Pre-boarding and Disability Seating: Airlines like Southwest and Delta offer early boarding to passengers with invisible disabilities—if requested at the gate. Amtrak and some public transit systems do too.

• Neurodiversity Hiring Programs: Companies like Microsoft, SAP, and others have created hiring initiatives for people with autism, ADHD, and cognitive disabilities—offering alternative interview formats and support.

• Communication Cards, Apps, and Wearables: Some people use communication badges, printed cards, AAC apps like Proloquo4Text or Speech Assistant, or phone-based tools to express needs when they can’t speak.

  
  

These are all positive steps. But they’re not always available, well-known, or easy to access. Often, you must:

• Know the option exists

• Find it in advance

• Ask for it clearly (which is hard with a speech or language disorder)

My Experiences with Accessibility Accommodations Lately

Over the past year, I’ve tried using different accessibility tools and services—and it’s been a mix of good, helpful, frustrating, and exhausting.

• I have an Individual ID on my phone that briefly explains my communication disabilities. I haven’t had to use it yet—I mostly created it in case of an emergency, when I might not be able to speak clearly at all. It gives me some peace of mind knowing it’s there, just in case I need to show someone quickly that I have aphasia, apraxia of speech, and dysarthria.

  
  

• On a recent Amtrak trip, I requested disability assistance in advance. I didn’t ask for assistance getting on the train, but when the first conductor scanned my ticket, she asked how she could be of assistance. When making my reservation, I checked that I am disabled and need some assistance at the station and during the trip. I was happy to see my request was conveyed to the conductor. I wish the system gave me enabled me to give more specific information at the time of booking. But I was able to tell her that I needed assistance with getting my luggage from the rack and off the train, and I said “I had a stroke and now have communication challenges. If there is an emergency, I may need time to process directions and sometimes can’t understand the announcements.” She told me “I got you!” I felt proud of myself for being able to convey all that information and she understood me. It was a fairly good speech day and I practiced a lot. She made me feel heard and I felt more comfortable. But like many systems, I had to book it ahead of time and communicate through their online process, which still took effort.

  
  

• I called a disability support line at UnitedHealthcare, and the experience was frustrating. I was surprised that the representative never asked how she could help me or whether I needed accommodations. Even after I explained that I had a language disorder, she spoke very quickly—and when she gave me a phone number, she rattled it off so fast I couldn’t catch it. It made the call harder than it needed to be, and reminded me that having a support line doesn’t always mean the person on the other end is trained or aware.

  
  

• Trying to get a Virginia driver's license with the disability indicator was also a challenge. I only learned that this is an option when I went to fill out the application form, not noticing anything about the requirements on the website. I went to the registry with my husband as my advocate, and even after my husband explained that he had to be with me as I had a stroke and resulting aphasia, we were given two different numbers to wait. When my number was finally called, my husband came to help me but was called away for his own appointment in the middle so I couldn’t ask for help understanding what information or documentation I would need to get the designation. As a result, I don’t have it—even though it would be extremely helpful in situations where I can't speak clearly.

  
  

• Without realizing it, I went shopping at my local Walmart and thoroughly enjoyed the shopping experience during sensory-friendly shopping hours, where lights were dimmed, music was turned down and announcements were limited. Shopping is extremely uncomfortable for me with the loud music and especially with the extremely bright lights.

  
  

• I’ve been trying to call more businesses when I need to. In previous years, when I wanted to speak to a representative at my bank, USAA, I was able to use their touch tone system to let them know what services I required. In the past year or two they changed to a speech enabled only system which frustrates me and of course never works to tell them what I need. I have been hung up on. Have had to say “representative” many many times before the system understood me or just got fed up. I have stayed on the line to give feedback at the end of the calls, but nothing has been done to change things.

  
  

These experiences show both why the ADA matters and how much work is still needed. Even when services are available, they’re often buried in websites, require advanced planning, or depend on talking to someone who’s trained and patient.

35 Years Later—Where Do We Go from Here?

The ADA was a huge step forward. But 35 years later, there’s still work to do—especially for people with invisible disabilities and communication disorders.

Here’s what I think would help:

• More education and training on communication disorders for hospitals, employers, schools, public services and businesses

• Automatic accommodations for common invisible disabilities—no extra explanation required

• Funding and expanded access to AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) tools

• More sensory-friendly environments and quiet spaces

• Expansion of programs like the sunflower lanyard and quiet shopping hours across the U.S.

• Making digital and in-person systems easier to use without speech or writing

Final Thoughts

I’m grateful for the ADA. It gives people rights and legal backing that didn’t exist before. But many of us still face daily challenges that the ADA is supposed to help with—but often doesn’t, at least not easily.

Communication is a basic human right. Thirty-five years later, progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go—especially for people like me, whose disabilities affect how we connect with others.

Chatgbt assisted