PHOTOS: Celebrating 33 years of ADA while advocating for a better future

Every year, Disability Advocates of Kent County (DAKC) marks the Americans with Disabilities Act with an event intended to celebrate the groundbreaking law passed in 1990, and educate about what still needs to be done to create equity for those with disabilities. 

This year, more than 200 attendees joined DAKC at its Celebration of the ADA on July 26. Originally scheduled for outdoors, rainy weather brought the daylong event indoors at the Special Olympics Inclusion Center in Byron Center, where DAKC is located.

The free event included Arts in Motion dancers, music by the band K-Rock, and family-friendly activities. There was a passport activity with 10 checkpoints to educate attendees about the disability civil rights movement, including the Rehabilitation Act and Section 504, the Capitol Crawl protest, and the signing of the ADA.

Much left to do

“Each year in July, we celebrate how far we have come since the passage of the ADA and remember how much we have yet to do,” says Peggy Helsel, DAKC development director. 

This year, DAKC worked to include more community partners, adds Ashley Kadwell, DAKC’s new events and administrative assistant. 

Kadwell says the goal of the event is to educate and advocate for more progress when it comes to inclusion, accessibility, universal design, engineering, and transportation.

“The important thing is to discuss these issues and educate the community. The mission of the ADA celebration was to celebrate the incredible achievements of our disability rights leaders and where we are today with these rights, but to educate and advocate for change — a better future,” she says. 

This article is a part of the multi-year series Disability Inclusion, exploring the state of West Michigan’s growing disability community. The series is made possible through a partnership with Centers for Independent Living organizations across West Michigan.