Dear Wolfpack Community,
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law on July 26, 1990, is a monumental piece of civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination towards individuals with disabilities.
The ADA celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. Within our lifetime, this comprehensive law has promoted diversity and inclusion in our communities and ensured that all individuals can fully participate in and benefit from public service, education, employment and more. NC State is able to attract and retain a diverse workforce and student body, #ThanksToTheADA.
We prioritize accessibility to better serve and represent our state, region, nation and world. Just this past March, the Student Government Association hosted an Accessibility Excursion to test the campus’ new accessible map and grow awareness of the ways in which individuals navigate our campus.
The GLBT Center introduced sensory-friendly hours in Spring 2020, in which lighting and sound adjustments provide an environment welcoming to students with neuroprocessing differences and sensory sensitivities.
The Office for Information Technology actively maintains IT Accessibility resources, including the IT Accessible Handbook, to promote accessibility in our online spaces.
Accessibility is an active and ongoing conversation for the Wolfpack, and we are inviting all of the Wolfpack to contribute their thoughts, experiences, ideas and stories. We are dedicating this issue of the Diversity Digest to recognize the contributions of the ADA within our campus community.
We invite you to celebrate this milestone by engaging in thoughtful dialogue, attending virtual programs and continuing to learn about ways we to further the reach of the ADA. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the ADA, we are pleased to host and share the following virtual events.
See the ADA 30th Anniversary event page, ADA at 30: Past, Present, and Future, for more information on these events as well as several events in the greater community.
- ADA 30th Anniversary Keynote Speaker Lex Gillette: No Need for Sight When You Have a Vision (Monday, July 27 at 1 p.m.)
- ADA 30th Anniversary: ADA Law Past and Present (Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at 11 a.m.)
- ADA 30th Anniversary: Expanding Diversity and Inclusion to Include Equity and Access (Tuesday, July 28 at 1 p.m.)
- ADA 30th Anniversary: Disability and Identities (Wednesday, July 29, 2020 at 11 a.m.)
- ADA 30th Anniversary: Navigating Legal Protections for Assistance Animals (Wednesday, July 29, 2020 at 1 p.m.)
- ADA 30th Anniversary: The Triangle Celebrates 30 Years of the ADA (Thursday, July 30 at noon)
- ADA 30th Anniversary: ADA Training for Supervisors (Friday, July 31 at 1 p.m.)
NC State is deeply committed to fostering a campus community in which all individuals are acknowledged, welcomed and supported. #ThanksToTheADA, NC State is a more vibrant place to learn, work, and grow.
Sheri L. Schwab, J.D., M.Ed., ‘97
Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity
Title IX and ADA Coordinator
NC State University