There is no normal, there is only us. There is only a group of human beings doing the best they can.

And I wish that we could follow the lead of disability advocates and just people who are showing us

a different way to live and a different way to think about our fellow human beings.

This is Sarah and Beth, your listening to Pant Suit Politics, the home of grace filled political

conversations.

Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of Pant Suit Politics.

We are thrilled to be here with you today celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Americans with

Disabilities Act. This landmark legislation is a massively important part of our country's history

and deserves the attention it's getting this year during such an important milestone.

So we are going to do two things. Today we're going to walk you through the five things you need to

know about the ADA. And then on Tuesday's show, we're going to share interviews with experts and

people who have really been impacted by the ADA. So that's the plan.

As we get started, I want to say a little word about our language in this episode because this is

an area where there's a lot of debate, healthy debate, I think, about the words that we use to

describe what we're talking about. Disability is controversial in some circles. We're going to use

that word here today because it is the language of our laws. And it's also the language that consistently

comes up as you research advocacy in this space. But I hope that you know whatever language you

prefer that we are open to learning about that and that everything we say today comes from a place

of real respect. And our intention is to lift up people who are looking for greater accessibility

in our society. And we'll do our best with the words that we use as we describe that intention.

So there are 61 million adults in the United States living with a disability. 26% that is one in

four of adults in the United States have some type of disability. I mean, that is a massive

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