• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

WeCo Digital Accessibility

  • Home
  • Our Story
    • Our Mission
    • For the Press and Media
      • Press Releases
  • Services
    • Free Accessibility Review
    • Accessibility Support Consulting
    • Legal Accessibility Support
    • Disability-Focused Usability Testing
    • Manual Accessibility Audits and Remediation
    • Accessibility Policy Statement
    • Accessibility, Usability, and Disability Awareness Training
    • Accessible Document Services
    • Accessibility, Inclusion SME Speaker Services
  • Who We Are
    • Our Work & Clients
    • Our Testers
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs and Internships
    • Working as a Tester
    • Application and Interview Tips
  • Resources
    • Access Blog
    • Events
    • Webinars
    • Recorded Free Accessibility Webinars
    • Free Access Library
      • Make a Case for Access
    • Disability Employment Resources
      • Disability Employment Awareness Month
  • Site Access
    • Site Map

July 23, 2015 by Sue Ann Rodriquez Leave a Comment

My Life Experiences Before the ADA

Photo of WeCo Lead CTC, Maureen Pranghofer. Maureen is in a wheel chair holding a white cane.
WeCo Lead Certified Test Consultant, Maureen Pranghofer, reflects on what life was like living with a disability before the passing of the ADA.

It was the early 1980’s, or perhaps even the late 1970’s when we all sat around a table attending a serious meeting to discuss the topic, “What were blind people to do now that they might take away curbs?” I was sitting in on this meeting because I was one of the few individuals with multiple disabilities. I had some usable vision and walked with a leg brace. I cared about not having curbs, but also needed the tactile cues to know I was at a curb. We couldn’t imagine them actually ramping the curbs!

It was a Friday night in 1982. My husband and I decided to use a coupon and go to a new neighborhood Chinese restaurant. We phoned to make reservations, and at the end of the conversation, I casually mentioned that I’d be bringing my guide dog. “Well,” said the voice on the other end of the line, “We don’t allow dogs here.” “But it’s a guide dog, you know, like a seeing-eye dog,” I said. “Well, we don’t allow dogs here, so you’ll have to leave the dog home.” “Then I’m not coming,” I said.

I had a great resume. My guide dog and I confidently walked into the office of a place who was hiring. I handed the interviewer my paperwork, and he barely glanced at it before he said, “How did you get dressed this morning?” I instantly knew they weren’t going to hire me. He was so enamored that a blind person could look presentable that he couldn’t think about qualifications or anything else.

That was all how it was before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). You never knew if a building would be accessible. You never knew if people would say “We can’t take you here.” You only got employment because someone where you worked had a special personality, had known someone with a disability, or was someone who could look past the physical differences between the person applying for the job and themselves. Even though there are still glitches, I’m so glad that it isn’t like it was before the ADA.

Written By Guest Blogger Maureen, Lead Certified Test Consultant

Filed Under: Access Awareness, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), General, Stories Tagged With: ada, disability, Disability Employment

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Use WeCo’s Library. Quick search hundreds of articles, documents and resources.

Footer

Contact WeCo

WeCo Accessibility Services
Reach us at: 855-849-5050 [email protected]

Minneapolis Office:

2730 West Lake Street
Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN  55416

 

CONTACT US

The information provided by WeCo (The Wehrman Collaborative, LLC) is not intended or designed to be used as, or take the place of, legal advice. If you have questions regarding how this information may affect you or your organization legally, please seek the advice of professional legal counsel.

Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.

IAAP Organizational Member logo

QUICK LINKS

Site Map

Resources

Privacy Policy

Accessibility Policy

SOCIAL MEDIA

FACEBOOK

LINKEDIN

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

Disability-Owned Business circular certification badge with text shown in circular orientation and with Disability:IN icon logo in center.

National Organization on Disability

NOD Leading Disability Employer 2022 written in a variety of teal sections, making a square.

Subscribe to our Blog & QuickTips







    Check each one you'd like to receive.

      
      
      

    Copyright © 2023 · Log in

    Skip to navigation