I was born at the end of War World II. When I was about 2 years old I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

My family decided that they would bring me up as if I were completely “normal” (I have yet to figure out what “normal” meant in the late 1940’s). However, my family tried.

This meant that I had to be pulled up and down curbs and stairs while still in my wheelchair. This maneuver had to be done well into my middle 30’s.

Getting into the ladies room was almost non-negotiable. Two of my female relatives would almost have to carry me into the restroom.

After the ADA was signed into the law in 1990 I began to notice what became known as curb cuts. On Long Island these were not originally meant for people with disabilities. They were meant to aide mothers with baby carriages and cyclists. The first curb cuts on Long Island were very steep and the first time I propelled my wheelchair down one alone I almost fell.

Within the next six months I began to notice bathrooms that were accessible to people in wheelchairs. When I could actually use the bathroom by myself I thought I died and went to heaven.

Around this time I learned what reasonable accommodation meant and that it was now the law of the land. I was overjoyed!

Since the passage of the ADA I have noticed that children with a disability have a chance to be educated in the most normal setting possible. This possibility is very important to me because I believe that if all children are educated together they will look on each other favorably and they will all be normal.