The Americans with Disabilities Act is 30. What progress has been made?

Illustration by Cathryn Virginia for NBC News

By Louise Kinross

The 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act has sparked a vast array of media stories and discussion on disability. The New York Times produced a special section called The ADA at 30: Beyond the law's promise. Here are some pieces from it that you don't want to miss.

We're 20 per cent of America, and we're still invisible  The New York Times

'Historically, we have been hidden away. Disabled people can make nondisabled people feel vulnerable...Even though it is common for disability to overlap with identities across the spectrum of minority groups, fighting discrimination on the basis of disability continues to take a back seat in our national consciousness.'

'Nothing about us without us:' 16 moments in the fight for disability rights  
The New York Times

Disability advocates identify key moments in the movement.

Disability pride: The high expectations of a generation  The New York Times

'After graduate school, Ms. Barbarin sent out hundreds of applications and disclosed that she has a disability. She didn’t get one interview. She sent out more, without mentioning her disability, and did. It’s “disheartening,” Ms. Barbarin said, for people of her generation, “who feel like the A.D.A. is the floor of what our rights should be. But we should be so much further along.”'

28 ways to learn about disability culture  The New York Times

Check out movies, books, TV shows, dance and art that capture disability experiences.

How I came out about my disability  The New York Times

'Three writers share how they revealed their disability, to a family member, to a love interest on a dating app and to oneself.'

This is how other media outlets are covering the anniversary: 

Women and disability panel: The 30th anniversary of the ADA only shows how much work remains  IndieWire

A fascinating ZOOM discussion with actresses Marlee Matlin, Danielle Perez, Lauren Ridloff, Maysoon Zayid and Ali Stoker. It begins with Marlee Matlin talking about when she first realized she was disabled. 

ADA 30 in colour  Disability Visibility Project

A series of original essays on the past, present and future of disability rights by disabled Black, Indigenous and People of Colour writers.

The story of the ADA is all about bridges  CNN

'In remembering disabled activists who were instrumental in the creation of America's disability rights movement and imagining what a more inclusive movement for social justice and full civil rights for the future could look like, we keep coming back to the partnership during the late 1970s between the Black Panther Party and the 504 activists, disability rights advocates who were pushing for implementation of a long-delayed section (section 504) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.'

The ADA is turning 30. It's time that it included digital accessibility  NBC News

'While the ADA regulates the physical world fairly well, its age means it lags eons behind when it comes to ensuring digital accessibility.'