The ADA's passage required the efforts of countless advocates with and without disabilities.
Justin Dart, "The ADA Man"
"The Darts... toured the country at their own expense, visiting every state, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the District of Columbia, holding public forums attended by more than 30,000 people. Everywhere he went, Dart touted the ADA as 'the civil rights act of the future.' Dart also met extensively with members of Congress and staff, as well as President Bush, Vice President Quayle, and members of the Cabinet."
- Justin Dart - An Obituary, 2002 (The Disability Social History Project)
- Justin Dart - An Obituary, 2002 (The Disability Social History Project)
"Dart recently received recognition from President Clinton in the form of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award. Dart immediately removed the medal to bestow it upon his wife Yoshiko and insisted that it belonged to everyone in the disability rights movement." - PBS program "Beyond Affliction" |
"There is nothing I have achieved... without the love and support of... individuals who have reached out to empower me... There is nothing I have accomplished without reaching out to empower others."
- Justin Dart
- Justin Dart
Frances Berko
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"From earliest childhood, adults in the environment focused on the person, not the disability. I was trained to live in the real world. I was permitted to take risks. I was privileged to be allowed to fail -- while I was provided the support services to learn from failure. Most of all, I was taught not only to tolerate frustration, but how to use frustration as a learning tool." - Frances Berko