How the ADA Changed the Built World | Crip Camp | Netflix

Summary

The script discusses the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on the built environment, highlighting how it has improved accessibility for disabled individuals through architectural changes like ramps, elevators, and curb cuts. Despite progress, the ADA is not universally applied, and the narrator emphasizes the need for continued societal change to ensure full participation of people with disabilities. The ADA's principles of universal design benefit everyone, not just those with disabilities.

Takeaways

• 🏢 The 'Built World' refers to human-made structures and spaces that significantly impact how we live and work.
• 🚧 Before disability rights laws, many public places like restaurants and schools were not designed with disabled people in mind, leading to significant barriers to access.
• 📜 The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its Section 504, which prohibits discrimination against disabled people in federally funded programs, was a precursor to the ADA.
• 🌟 The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), signed in 1990, was the result of years of advocacy and protest, including by disabled teenagers from Camp Jened.
• 🚶‍♂️ The ADA mandates that physical environments, including public transportation and buildings, must be architecturally accessible to people with disabilities.
• 🚻 Changes brought by the ADA can be as small as inches, like the width of a bathroom stall, or as large as entirely new structures being created for accessibility.
• 🚌 Public transportation has become more accessible with features like ramps and elevators, thanks to the ADA.
• 🛣️ Curb cuts, those small ramps in pavements, were made mandatory by the ADA to help wheelchair users and visually impaired people navigate streets safely.
• 🅿️ The ADA has transformed parking lots with reserved spaces that are not only designated for disabled individuals but also designed for ease of vehicle exit.
• 🏠 The interiors of buildings, including the height of sinks and the width of stalls in bathrooms, have been made more accessible in line with ADA guidelines.
• 🌐 While the ADA has made significant strides, there are still areas, like some subway stations and restaurants, that are not fully compliant, indicating ongoing work is needed for universal accessibility.

Q & A

What does the term 'Built World' refer to in the context of the script?

The 'Built World' refers to the human-made physical structures and spaces that determine how we live and where we work.

How did the physical environment change for people with disabilities before the laws were passed?

Before laws were passed, places like restaurants, doctors' offices, and schools were not made with disabled people in mind, presenting barriers such as stairs, narrow doorways, and no curb cuts.

What was the significance of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 504?

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, specifically Section 504, prohibited federally funded programs, agencies, and buildings from discriminating against disabled people, paving the way for the ADA.

What was the role of Camp Jened in the advocacy for disability rights?

Camp Jened was a summer camp in Upstate New York where a group of disabled teenagers organized advocacy and protest efforts that contributed to the passage of laws like the ADA.

What are some of the changes brought about by the ADA to the built world?

The ADA made it a legal requirement for physical landscapes to be architecturally accessible to disabled people, including employment discrimination protection and architectural changes like ramps, accessible seating, and elevators.

What was life like for people with disabilities before the ADA, according to Jim LeBrecht?

Before the ADA, life was very difficult for people with disabilities as they faced challenges accessing movie theaters, bathrooms, and many other places due to the lack of accessibility.

How has public transportation changed due to the ADA?

Public transportation has become more accessible with features like ramps, accessible seating, and elevators in some subway stations, allowing people with physical disabilities to travel more easily.

What is the purpose of curb cuts in sidewalks?

Curb cuts are small ramps built into the pavement to allow disabled persons, especially those in wheelchairs, to safely navigate the streets and to help blind or low vision pedestrians know when they have reached a street.

What changes have been made to parking lots due to the ADA?

For every 25 parking spaces in a lot, at least one must be for accessible parking, and some of those spaces must be wide enough for a person with a disability to safely exit a vehicle.

How do the interiors of buildings need to change to be ADA-compliant?

Building interiors need to include features like wide bathroom stalls for wheelchair access, sinks at the right level with leg space, and ramps to overcome architectural barriers.

What is the narrator's view on the current state of accessibility in the built world?

The narrator believes that while the ADA has improved accessibility, it is incomplete and not universally applied, meaning people with disabilities cannot fully participate in their communities.

What is the concept of universal design mentioned in the script?

Universal design is the idea that if something is designed or made to work for all people, it will be better for everybody, leading to more inclusive and accessible environments.

Outlines

00:00

🏢 Accessibility in the Built World

The script discusses the concept of the 'Built World' and how it was largely inaccessible to people with disabilities before laws like the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) were enacted. The narrator explains how these laws were a result of advocacy by disabled individuals, including those from Camp Jened, and how they have led to changes in physical structures such as buildings, transportation, and public spaces to be more accessible. Examples include the installation of ramps, elevators, and curb cuts. The script also highlights the personal experiences of individuals with disabilities and how the ADA has impacted their lives, making it easier for them to participate in society.

05:01

🚌 Public Transportation and Street Accessibility

This paragraph delves into the specific changes brought about by the ADA in public transportation and street design. It mentions how people with physical disabilities were previously unable to use public transport due to barriers like stairs. The script describes the addition of features like ramps, accessible seating, and elevators in subway stations. It also talks about the creation of curb cuts in pavements to aid wheelchair users and visually impaired individuals in navigating streets safely. The narrator shares personal anecdotes about the lack of accessible parking and the challenges faced in finding suitable parking spots before the ADA's implementation.

10:03

🚦 The Ongoing Struggle for Full Accessibility

The final paragraph addresses the ongoing challenges in achieving full accessibility despite the ADA's provisions. It points out that while progress has been made, there are still many areas where the built environment is not fully compliant with the ADA, such as the lack of elevators in many subway stations and the absence of Braille menus in restaurants. The narrator emphasizes that the ADA is a minimum standard, not a maximum, and that true accessibility requires a societal change in mindset. The script concludes with the idea that the ADA benefits everyone, not just people with disabilities, by promoting universal design principles that create better environments for all.

Keywords

💡Built World

The 'Built World' refers to the human-made physical structures and spaces that we interact with daily, such as buildings, transportation systems, and public facilities. In the video, it is highlighted that these structures were often not designed with disabled individuals in mind, leading to significant barriers to accessibility. The term is crucial as it sets the stage for understanding the impact of laws like the ADA on making these environments more inclusive.

💡Disabilities

Disabilities encompass a wide range of physical, mental, and cognitive conditions that can impact a person's ability to perform daily tasks or interact with the environment. The video emphasizes the challenges faced by people with disabilities in navigating the built world, which was often not designed to accommodate their needs. The script illustrates this through personal narratives of individuals who faced barriers like stairs and narrow doorways.

💡Rehabilitation Act of 1973

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a US law that first prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability in programs receiving federal financial assistance. Specifically, Section 504 of this act is highlighted in the video as a significant precursor to the ADA, as it set the stage for prohibiting discrimination against disabled individuals in federally funded programs, agencies, and buildings.

💡Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The ADA is a comprehensive civil rights law enacted in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life. The video underscores the ADA's role in transforming the built world to be more accessible, with legal requirements for physical landscapes to accommodate disabled individuals, such as through architectural changes and the provision of accessible public transportation.

💡Architectural Accessibility

Architectural Accessibility refers to the design and construction of buildings, transportation, and public spaces to be usable by people with a wide range of abilities. The video discusses how the ADA has led to architectural changes like ramps, wider doors, and elevators to make buildings more accessible, thereby improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.

💡Curb Cuts

Curb Cuts are the small ramps built into the pavement at street corners to create a slope from the sidewalk to the street level. The video explains that these were designed to help wheelchair users navigate the streets safely but have also become useful for others, such as parents with strollers, illustrating the concept of universal design benefits.

💡Handicap Parking

Handicap Parking refers to designated parking spaces for individuals with disabilities, typically located close to entrances and being wider to accommodate wheelchair access. The video mentions how the ADA has transformed parking lots, mandating a certain number of spaces per lot to be accessible, thus facilitating independence for people with disabilities.

💡Universal Design

Universal Design is the concept of designing products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The video concludes with this idea, emphasizing that designing for accessibility benefits everyone, not just those with disabilities, thus promoting a more inclusive society.

💡Section 504

Section 504 is part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and is mentioned in the video as a key legislation that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. It is noted for paving the way for the ADA and for significantly improving the lives of people with disabilities by ensuring access to education and other services.

💡Camp Jened

Camp Jened was a summer camp in Upstate New York for teenagers with disabilities, highlighted in the video for playing a pivotal role in the disability rights movement. The camp was where many of the activists who advocated for the ADA and Section 504 gathered, emphasizing the importance of community and advocacy in driving social change.

💡Inaccessible

Inaccessible, as used in the video, refers to environments, services, or facilities that cannot be easily used by people with disabilities due to physical barriers. The term is used to describe the state of the built world before the ADA, where features like stairs, narrow doors, and lack of ramps made it difficult for people with disabilities to participate in daily life.

Highlights

The 'Built World' is a term referring to human-made structures that shape how we live and work, with accessibility being crucial for people with disabilities.

Before accessibility laws like Section 504 and the ADA, physical environments such as restaurants and schools were not designed with disabled people in mind.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, particularly Section 504, was a turning point in ensuring that federally funded programs and buildings could no longer discriminate against people with disabilities.

The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) of 1990 was a milestone in disability rights, requiring architectural accessibility in public spaces.

Advocacy and activism led by disabled teens from Camp Jened played a pivotal role in pushing for disability rights, including the passage of the ADA.

The ADA requires features like ramps, accessible seating, and elevators in public transportation, which were once inaccessible for people with physical disabilities.

Curb cuts on streets are designed for disabled persons, especially wheelchair users, and have also benefited others, such as parents with strollers.

Parking lots now include accessible parking spots that provide wider spaces for people with disabilities to safely exit vehicles.

Many public and private buildings now have ramps and wide bathroom stalls, making them accessible for wheelchair users, in compliance with the ADA.

Elevators in buildings have been modified to ensure wheelchair access, but many of these designs remain inaccessible for people who are blind.

While the ADA made significant strides, many areas, such as New York City's subway system, remain inaccessible, with only a quarter of stations having elevators.

Many businesses have yet to adopt Braille menus or fully implement accessibility guidelines, showing that ADA compliance remains incomplete.

The ADA is seen as a 'floor' rather than a 'ceiling'—minimum standards, not comprehensive solutions for accessibility.

Disability rights should be understood as basic human rights, with a need for broader societal involvement to create truly inclusive environments.

The concept of universal design suggests that creating spaces accessible to all people results in better environments for everyone, not just for those with disabilities.

Transcripts

[narrator] You might take one every day,

but you probably haven't thought about the layout of an elevator,

unless you're a person with a disability.

Chances are that you don't really think about

any of the human-made physical structures you access each day.

Architects and engineers

refer to these things and spaces as the "Built World."

It's a world that determines how we live and where we work.

You might not have noticed,

but much of that physical environment

has quite literally been shaped by laws that protect the rights

of people with disabilities.

Before these laws were passed,

places like restaurants, doctors' offices, and schools

were not made with disabled people in mind.

Being met with barriers such as stairs, narrow doorways, no curb cuts,

made it difficult, if not impossible for many people with physical disabilities

to access these spaces.

Inaccessible buildings and transportation provided a routine reminder

that the built world was made strictly for the non-disabled.

[growling]

[narrator] But all that partially began to change

with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,

specifically with the enforcement of Section 504

that prohibits federally funded programs, agencies, and buildings

from discriminating against disabled people.

Section 504, as it is commonly known,

also paved way for the historic signing of the ADA,

or Americans with Disabilities Act, in 1990.

As chronicled in Crip Camp,

it took years of relentless advocacy and protest

before these laws were passed.

And much of it was organized by a group of disabled teenagers

who met at a summer camp in Upstate New York, Camp Jened.

And thanks to these former campers and many other leaders,

our built world changed.

Among the long list of things the ADA accomplished,

like protecting against employment discrimination,

it is now a legal requirement for our physical landscapes

to be architecturally accessible to disabled people.

[Jim LeBrecht] Well, before the ADA and even the passage of the regulations,

the 504 regulations,

it was really, really tough.

Anything that I really wanted was at the whim of other people.

We couldn't come into the movie theater

if we couldn't transfer out of our wheelchair.

We had no expectation of accessible bathrooms.

Our expectations basically were low.

[narrator] In some cases, the change measures in inches.

In other instances, entire new structures have been created.

The experience of making this film

has radically changed the way I view the world around me.

[narrator] You've already seen the ADA's impact on our built world.

You just may not have noticed it. For instance...

You know, our tax money was going into buses and trains,

but we couldn't get on it.

I also grew up in New York.

And...

I used the subway a lot.

I used to go to the subway and...

climb up and down the steps.

I... I...

I was normally harassed

by the police.

I wasn't bothering the police,

but I was harassed daily by them.

Because...

the police would stop us.

Did you understand?

-[low murmurs from crew] -[Neil] No.

So, the subways in New York are not-- were not accessible at that time.

But Neil was able to get around.

And what he would do

is he would frequently go up and down the stairs on his butt,

and the police, instead of helping him,

would frequently tell him he couldn't do it.

-So, denying the right to transit. -[Neil] Yeah.

[narrator] So before the ADA,

most people with physical disabilities couldn't access public transportation.

It meant that many people couldn't even leave their homes.

But nowadays, public transportation has become accessible for many,

adding features like ramps, accessible seating,

and elevators in some subway stations.

The ADA also has provisions for streets and sidewalks.

They can be inaccessible to wheelchair users

and people who are blind or low vision.

You know those small ramps you see everywhere built into the pavement?

Those are curb cuts,

and they're meant for a disabled person to safely navigate the streets,

not just for your scooter.

So now, not only can a wheelchair user

easily maneuver between the sidewalk and the street,

but a blind or low vision pedestrian

can also know when they have reached a street.

And ask anybody who's pushed a... a stroller

how much easier it is to use a curb cut.

[narrator] Parking lots too have been transformed by the ADA.

When I got my car at the age of 17,

there were no handicap parking spots,

and so I had to find locations

where I could get my wheelchair in and out of my station wagon.

[narrator] It's totally different now. For every 25 parking spaces in a lot,

at least one needs to be for accessible parking.

And some of those accessible parking spaces

must be wide enough for a person with a disability

to safely exit a vehicle.

And by the way, those reserved parking spaces also follow ADA rules.

But what about buildings themselves?

Not only were public spaces inaccessible for people with disabilities,

but often there were architectural barriers

in their private homes as well.

I grew up in a home

and I lived

on the second floor

of a walk-up apartment building.

And my parents

never thought about moving.

My parents thought

that the only alternative

-was to make me walk. -[Neil] Yeah.

And so I spent

years and years and years

without a wheelchair,

walking on crutches

and it really wasn't the best way

for me to get around,

but it was

the only solution

that my parents

and therapist

and non-disabled people had

for somebody like me.

Just simply being able to get into businesses

where, you know, there's a step up.

Uh, and so I couldn't get into many, many places.

[narrator] But that ramp you usually walk past on a regular day?

Yep, that was installed as per the ADA

because stairs just don't work for everyone.

Ever wonder why there's usually a static door

or a gate next to a revolving door?

That's right, to make it easier for a person in a wheelchair

to access the building.

But once inside, a building's interiors

could also be a barrier for people with disabilities.

Take bathrooms, for instance.

Yeah, I can get into your restaurant,

but, you know, I want to be able to hang out there for a while,

and if your bathroom is not accessible,

uh, it's really kind of a no-go for me to be there.

[narrator] You know those wide bathroom stalls?

They're not fitting rooms or places to do your yoga.

Those were created to give enough room for wheelchair access.

Also, for a wheelchair user,

sinks that are too high without leg space are cumbersome.

But by following the ADA guidelines,

sinks can be installed at the right level to be accessible.

And it's not just the buildings and the streets and transportation

that need to be ADA-compliant.

It's the things you never consider.

Like that elevator from before?

You don't notice it while using it

but the usable parts are at a certain height from the ground

to be wheelchair accessible.

But here's the thing, it doesn't cater to a person who is blind.

Our built world is therefore selectively accessible.

Many people who have a disability and are protected by Section 504

and the Americans with Disabilities Act

don't see themselves in this law.

[narrator] And it's incomplete.

Like, not all subway stations have built-in elevators.

For instance, only a quarter

of New York City's subway stations are accessible.

Similarly, restaurants far and wide

have yet to adopt Braille menus for blind people.

It has been 30 years since the ADA was signed,

but its laws are yet to be universally applied to our built world.

I think that people think-- some people think that the ADA is,

"If we follow these rules, we're doing it right."

The ADA is a floor. It's not a ceiling.

[narrator] And that's a problem.

Because unless it applies everywhere,

people with disabilities

cannot fully participate in their communities.

If I have to feel thankful about an accessible bathroom,

when am I ever gonna be equal in the community?

[narrator] A good first step is to begin thinking about disability rights

as basic human rights.

Would you like to see, um, handicapped people depicted as people?

[person laughs nearby]

-Excuse me? -[chuckles]

[upbeat music playing]

It can't just be on us

as disabled people to be making these changes.

It really has to be a societal change.

[narrator] The ADA actually improves access for all.

[narrator] I mean, think about it.

You've probably used the elevators in a subway station.

There were some before the ADA,

but now entire systems have them.

And that's just one example

of how we all benefit from the ADA every day.

I think one of the most beautiful things I learned about, working on the project,

was this concept of universal design.

It's the idea that if you design something or you make something

that works for all people, it's gonna be better for everybody.

[narrator] So, on any given day,

when you do end up using an ADA feature,

you have a generation of disability rights activists

to thank for that convenience.

So, y'all have us to thank for this.