As part of our advocacy, #OneAccessibility, we will share information about differently able and profile one location with accessible trails. Look out every week for this enlightening post.
The ADA Act became law in the United States in 1990. It protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination and ensures access in five main areas:
- Employment Rights
- Public Services
- Public Accommodations
- Telecommunications
- Miscellaneous other protections
Each of these areas deserves specific attention, and will be covered in separate articles. Because of the impact on quality of life, we will focus first on public accommodations. Equal access and enjoyment of public facilities allows people with other abilities to live full lives. This is exactly what the ADA Act intended.
Unrestricted access to public facilities, the activities which take place there, and the happiness derived from participation, supports physical, mental and emotional well-being. A friend of mine, Gianna Rojas “the one handed lady golfer” and founder of Adaptive Golfers spoke with me about how essential equal access to public golf courses can be. She explained how, for many, recreation is the difference between a happy, healthy life and struggling with depression.
The ADA Act empowers individuals to independently pursue these activities, meeting their own needs for this integral, but unquantifiable need. In golf, this often means inquiring about the availability of accessibility devices, such as specialized carts and equipment. These adaptive features are not usually prominently displayed or advertised. This makes it even more important to document their presence. Gianna has worked with several organizations over the years to create lists of facilities with these features. Fortunately, the increasing popularity and use of Google Maps offers a new and exciting opportunity for documenting and sharing this type of information.
The ADA Act has many specific provisions, but the ultimate goal of these regulations is an unhindered, full and healthy life experience for those who need these protections to achieve it.
Do you have a question, suggestion or contribution, feel free to comment below. Read last week’s round up here.
Accessibility Uncovered 
is a weekly enlightening series of posts to share information about people with disabilities and how accessibility can improve lives across the world. We shall also profile accessible buildings and public places identified during accessibility meetups. An initiative of the Accessibility team
See the list of all articles here
