Developed through an ACL grant, the new

Courtney Felle, an intern in ACL’s Center for Policy and Evaluation, shares a personal reflection on the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the future of disability advocacy.

On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law; this landmark civil rights law affirmed the inherent dignity of every person, regardless of disability. The ADA prohibits discrimination by local and state governments, provides standards for privately owned businesses and commercial facilities, stands against discrimination in the workplace, and ensures equal access to healthcare, social services, transportation, and telecommunications. 

Throughout the month of July, ACL has been sharing resources for people with disabilities from across the federal government and our partners in the disability networks to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. Today, on the actual anniversary, there are so many exiting things to share that we can’t send them out individually, so we’ve recapped some of them here.

ACL recently awarded a five year cooperative agreement to the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care to operate the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC).

ACL is pleased to announce new Lifespan Respite Care State Program Enhancement Grant awards to 10 states. The cooperative agreements will provide a total of approximately $11 million over five years.

ACL recently awarded a five year cooperative agreement to the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care to operate the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC).

ACL is pleased to announce that the Nutrition and Aging Resource Center website is now at acl.gov/senior-nutrition. Content has been reorganized into key sections, including training and tools; success stories; and data and evaluation. A broad range of subsections further organize content into categories such as innovative models and events.

I am a brown, disabled, adopted woman who acquired transverse myelitis as an infant, and I use a manual wheelchair. My experiences growing up with these identities shaped those I developed later—who I am as a person, researcher, and activist. I am proud of all of my identities, and I am excited to join ACL as the Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), where I can put all of them to work!

The NIDILRR-funded Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) recently published two opioid use factsheets for people with burn injuries and spinal cord injuries (SCI).