The ADA Celebrates Its Flirty Thirty

This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the federal law that bans discrimination based on disability in all parts of public life.

Signed into law on July 26, 1990, it opens access for people to jobs, school, transportation, and private places of public accommodation like hotels and restaurants.

To commemorate the occasion, here are five stories of Americans whose lives the law has improved. They include a man who lost his eyesight, a woman who lost her hearing, a man born without limbs or fingers, and a woman who suffers from paralysis.

No law is perfect, but the ADA has helped millions of people live more meaningful lives, participate in the economy, and reach their full potential. And that’s worth celebrating.