What a trailblazer and inspirational individual! We have come far under ADA but individuals with disabilities still lack equal opportunity and most importantly, VISIBILITY in our communities and workplaces. Ms. Saviola's legacy cannot be forgotten.
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Every time I see a curb cut I will think fondly of Ms Saviola. May she Rest In Peace
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What a wonderful woman. People like this are the real leaders in our society, who push for real world change and actually achieve it; unlike those so-called "leaders" in Washington who are little but a bunch of overpaid, know nothing politicians who bicker as the world falls apart. May she rest in peace.
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I had the honor of working with Marilyn Saviola when she helped me design an exam room for disabled patients in a primary care clinic I was developing on the Lower East Side with then NYU Downtown. Her passion and vision to create a safe, secure and welcoming environment for people with disabilities was inspiring, courageous and empowering. I am grateful for all she taught me about the health care needs of people with disabilities. It was not only compelling but influenced many of the primary care projects I worked on in the future.
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Thank you for this thoughtful article and tribute to Ms. Saviola. She and I were classmates at New York University in the Rehabilitation Counseling program. Although I did not have contact with her after we graduated in 1972 I though of her often in my work as a Rehabilitation Counselor Educator.
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It's great that we minimize physical barriers as much as possible. And, Ms Saviola was a pioneer in that.
However, the ADA has been co-opted by the out-of-control spending for special education. It often costs 10 times more to education a special ed student than other students. This does not seem to be a good use of limited resources.
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@Grace This country has zero problem with spending $150 million on a single bombing outing (Trump's bombing of an unused Syrian airfield, for example), $5 million for a single Blue Angels event, or upwards of $70K per year per person to house 'criminals' in prisons. So I disagree with your argument.
BUT the real concern is that now lawyers are using ADA as a weapon, and virtually any company of any size can be sued for violating ADA since it is very broad in its definitions. For example, a YouTube poster seeking to make money from videos could potentially be sued for not providing SAP descriptions of every video.
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@Jonahh Not to mention that the Federal government doesn't fully contribute to the mandate. The last I hears it was about 27% and the was a few years back....
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@Grace
I know of a case where the parent wanted the town to send her child to another state at the cost of $400,000 and wanted the town/state of CT to pay for it.
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We throw around the phase "thank you for your service" easily these day. But I would like to thank Ms Saviola for her service in making life better for everyone.,
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Her life’s work gave to us all. Thank you for this memorial of her legacy.
As a “temporarily non-disabled” person I spent early decades oblivious and clueless. But normal life - and needs babies, parents, friends, family - has led me to passionately support the still constant need for reminders about “basic” needs like ramps, railings, lifts, and bathroom access - and many less basic too (as the article details). The ADA was truly a landmark legislation of my lifetime. All of us gifted for a while with great balance, mobility, reach, etc need to keep looking beyond our “rude good health” with the perspective Ms Saviola did so much to encourage.
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@Nell
I think adding ramps to stairs is one of the best ideas in the last 100 years. What a difference it makes to so many people
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