From the Missouri History Museum:To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), on June 25, 2010, members of the five institutions comprising the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District (ZMD) converged at the Missouri History Museum to sign proclamations of recommitment to the vision of the ADA—full inclusion of people with disabilities into American life.
Missouri History Museum president Robert R. Archibald said, “As a gesture of the collaborative natures of the five ZMD institutions, we have all gathered here this morning to sign our individual proclamations.”
The proclamations from the ZMD institutions—composed of MHM, the Saint Louis Science Center, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Saint Louis Zoo, and the Missouri Botanical Garden—are part of a campaign called “2010 By 2010.” Spearheaded by the National ADA Symposium, the 2010 By 2010 campaign’s goal is to collect 2,010 proclamations of recommitment from local and state governments, schools, businesses, and organizations.
Several members of the disability community were on-hand to watch the recommitment ceremony, including Max and Colleen Starkloff, of the Starkloff Disability Institute and founders of Paraquad, and Bob Huskey, board president of Paraquad. Huskey said the recommitment to the ADA is significant because, “it shows us that the attitude of society, which has been one of the biggest problems to overcome, is changing. I’ve been in a [wheel] chair for 54 years, and back then there weren’t any ramps for accessibility.”But Huskey said because of the passage of the ADA and the efforts of organizations like Paraquad, “I can fly to California and find an accessible hotel and a van to drive.”
During the event, Dr. Archibald invited participants to preview the MHM exhibit The Americans with Disabilities Act: 20 Years Later, which he said “explores life before the ADA, changes that have happened in society since this law was passed, and the efforts that continue to remove obstacles to full community life.”
The exhibit opens to the public on June 26, 2010. To learn more about life before and after the ADA, visit Action for Access: Changing Perceptions of Disability in American Life.
