By:Jennifer Marino
It's hard to imagine that just to cross the street, Jeanie Waters used to have to pull herself and her wheelchair up on the sidewalk with help from a parking meter. If there weren't any meters, she'd have to make her way in the street until she found a driveway.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and took effect in 1992. The federal civil rights law was designed to prevent discrimination against people with a range of disabilities and to allow them to participate fully in society. The law requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for the disabled, and requires businesses and institutions - from restaurants and movie theaters to churches and libraries - to be accessible.
"There is no question that great progress has been made in Nassau County," said Don Dreyer, director of the Nassau County office for the physically challenged and a Rockville Centre resident for 10 years. Dreyer was at the White House when the ADA was signed 14 years ago this week.
Rockville Centre resident Jeanie Waters has seen the changes the ADA has brought about. While working as an auto mechanic, she slipped and injured her spinal cord. She now uses a wheelchair to get around, and has a service dog named Elli who assists her, even with laundry.
After her accident, Waters attended St. John's Law School and earned a law degree. Now she deals with the various challenges of getting to court. Once, when the elevator at Rockville Centre Village Hall was broken, a judge came out to the parking lot to hold a hearing.
Despite the law, Waters has found that not every village is as accommodating as Rockville Centre. She has even had to throw pebbles at a window to get the attention of an inaccessible court.
Every day the ADA is becoming more important to a larger number of people. According to statistics from the U.S. Census, there are some 54 million Americans with disabilities - almost 20 percent of the population. And the total is growing rapidly.
In broad terms, the ADA has meant a greater understanding by government and business leaders, the removal of many barriers, both physical and conceptual, and the reduction of disabled people's dependence on subsidy programs by giving them access to jobs, according to Dreyer. The proof of the progress, he says, is when he goes to movie theaters, banks, libraries, malls or baseball games and sees other people with disabilities making use of all society has to offer.
The Rockville Centre Public Library has made some changes in recent years to make its building and services even more accessible than is required by code. About a year and a half ago, the bathrooms were renovated to make the doors wider and to make one stall in each bathroom larger. This summer, the library has installed a wider door at the entrance that can be operated with a button. Library Director Gretchen Browne said she was very pleased to be able to install the automatic door, thanks to money provided by state Sen. Dean Skelos. The library also has special technology to help visually, hearing- and mobility-impaired people use its materials.
The curb cuts on Rockville Centre corners are symbolic of the changes the ADA has brought for Waters. She can cross the street without looking for parking meters. In the winter, the village keeps the curb cuts free of snow. The ADA also makes sure that new buildings are built to be accessible. Waters, a member of the St. Agnes parish, can attend events at the brand new parish center, which is accessible by a ramp.
"It's the best town on Long Island," Waters said of Rockville Centre. She is a familiar face in the village, making her way around with Elli, a serene golden retriever, Waters's long red hair usually pulled back in a ponytail. She is a greeter at Sunday Mass at St. Agnes, with Elli. Waters says that the people of Rockville Centre are friendly and helpful, but they also understand that she can do things for herself. Mayor Eugene Murray even offered to install a ramp at her home, but Waters has decided to move to a more accessible apartment.
Dreyer has not only witnessed the changes in the lives of people with disabilities, he has fought for them. As a child in Brooklyn, he was taught by a tutor at home because he was born with brittle bones and suffered many leg fractures. By the time he was 15, there was a new high school in Sheepshead Bay that was wheelchair-accessible enough for him to attend. He participated in school life, writing for the newspaper and playing guitar in a band. He went on to Hofstra University on a full scholarship.
While at Hofstra in the late 1960s, Dreyer worked with the school administration to make the college fully accessible. "It was a wonderful time," he said.
Some of the laws that were precursors of the ADA came into effect in the 1960s. In 1968 there was an architectural-barriers law, and another law that applied only to entities that received federal funding.
Dreyer says that one of the keys to educating businesses has been showing them that people with disabilities are an untapped market. The businesses, in return, strive to be accessible to their customers. There are also tax incentives to help businesses come up to code. Usually, businesses don't understand that they can do simple things to be accessible, Dreyer explained. "It's been a wonderful journey," he said, but added, "We still have far to go."
