We all must be regarded for our individual potential, strengths that are equally unique and magnificent. Today we are so fortunate to see wheelchair ramps, curb cuts and Braille instructions across the United States, thanks in large measure to the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act. But many doors remain closed. Barriers to private and public transportation, housing, stadiums and travel still exist. Seventy percent of people with disabilities are unemployed, often because employers have misconceptions about hiring them.
Technology presents an incredible opportunity to people with disabilities.
Devices that allow people who cannot talk, see, hear or move allow them to communicate through computers. People who are unable to leave their home and socialize do so now in chat rooms or through card games on the Internet, where the disability disappears. I remember when I was in law school and one night, about 3 a.m., I sat on my bed, typing my 10-page memorandum of understanding. For the very first time, I finished a paper without needing anyone to help me. Up until that point, every exam, every paper, every homework assignment needed to be written by someone else.