On July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. At the time, my son John hadn’t yet been born. Today, John is 29 years old, and the ADA has shaped every opportunity that he, and so many others with disabilities, have had to live a full, vibrant, and meaningful life.

I can tell you firsthand: the ADA didn’t just open doors for John. It knocked down walls and created a new world.

John has Down syndrome. He is also a business owner, a Special Olympics athlete, and a keynote speaker who has stood at the podium of the United Nations, testified before Congress, and delivered not one but two TEDx talks. He is my business partner and co-founder of John’s Crazy Socks. And none of this would have been possible without the ADA.

From Exclusion to Empowerment

Before the ADA, people with disabilities were too often excluded from jobs, schools, transportation, and public life. Society didn’t see what they could contribute; it only saw limitations.

The ADA changed that. It said to every American, including my son: You have rights. You belong. You deserve equal opportunity.

The ADA prohibits discrimination in employment, mandates accessibility in public spaces, and guarantees full participation in community life. That might sound like legal language, but for John, it has meant real-world transformation:

• He could attend inclusive public schools.
• He could access public transportation, buildings, and public venues.
• He could get a job or, in his case, create one.

When John couldn’t find meaningful employment after high school, he came to me and said, “Dad, I want to go into business with you.” That conversation led us to start John’s Crazy Socks, a social enterprise built around spreading happiness and showing what people with differing abilities can do.

Employment Is About Dignity

One of the most powerful aspects of the ADA is the protection it provides in the workplace. It doesn’t just make employment possible; it makes dignity possible.

Without the ADA, John might never have had the opportunity to work, let alone run a company. But today, John helps lead a business that has created 34 jobs, 22 of which are held by people with differing abilities. Our team is proof that when you focus on what people can do, extraordinary things happen.

The ADA helps ensure that our employees are judged not by their disabilities, but by their abilities. It gives us the confidence to say to every customer, every partner, and every employee: we are inclusive by design, and we’re better because of it.

Advocacy with a Microphone and a Megaphone

The ADA has also guaranteed John the right to speak, advocate, and lead in public spaces. Because of this law, he has stood on stages across the United States and spoken to thousands. The ADA made those stages physically and legally accessible.

When John testified before Congress, he did so not as a token figure, but as an empowered citizen demanding his rightful place in the workforce. When he spoke at the UN, he wasn’t just sharing his story, he was lighting the way for others.

That is the power of civil rights law. That is the power of the ADA.

We’ve Had the Honor of Saying “Thank You”

Wea re often cynical about what Congress and our Federal government can accomplish. THE ADA is an example of the difference our government can make. John and I have had the privilege of meeting and thanking two of the champions behind the ADA: Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman Tony Coelho. These men didn’t just write legislation, they changed lives. They changed our lives.

We thanked them not only for their votes or their leadership, but for giving John the freedom to dream, to achieve, and to be seen.

A Call to Keep Building

Thirty-four years after the ADA’s signing, we are still on the journey toward full inclusion. There’s more work to do: in schools, in workplaces, in healthcare, and in culture. We need to create more job opportunities, more housing options and more ways in which people with differing abilities can contribute to our communities. But because of the ADA, we start from a place of legal and moral clarity: that people like John are equal under the law.

As a father, I will forever be grateful for the protections and possibilities the ADA has provided my son. As a business owner, I see the value and talent that so many others miss. As a citizen, I know our society is better and stronger when it embraces everyone.

John’s Crazy Socks is a testament to what happens when people with differing abilities are given a chance. The ADA made that possible. It helped turn my son’s dreams into reality.

Let’s keep dreaming bigger.