Repairing the world: disability inclusion

By Ben Dubin

In 1987, I had the good fortune to meet Senator Tom Harkin when my deaf daughter, aged 11, testified before the U.S. Senate in support of deafness research funding and the establishment of the National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders. Three years later, under his leadership, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. This act changed the landscape for people with disabilities, prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, transportation and public accommodations.

To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability, which is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.

Today, it is estimated that 20% of the U.S. population has a physical, developmental or mental disability. People with disabilities comprise 11.4% of Collier County’s population.

Leviticus 19:14 teaches us, “You shall not insult the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind.”

A program featuring Ben Dubin and his daughter, Rachel, who is deaf, will discuss inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the Jewish and secular community.

Please join us to hear their story via Zoom on Monday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m. Please register for this free program at www.jewish naples.org. This is co-sponsored with MCA.