A ‘Declaration of Equality’

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question: What does it mean for a society to be truly equal?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• barriers (p. 18)
• mandates (p. 18)
• accessible (p. 18)
• implemented (p. 19)
• accommodations (p. 20)
• portrayed (p. 21)

3. Engage
Ask: What hardships would you face throughout your life if you were barred from going to school? What impact would physical barriers to entering a place of work have on your long-term economic success? How might not being allowed on planes or buses also create problems for you?

4. Read and Discuss: 
Ask students to read the Upfront article about the Americans with Disabilities Act. Review why the article is a secondary source. (It was written by someone who didn’t personally experience or witness the events.) Then pose these critical-thinking questions:.

• In what ways were people with disabilities discriminated against before the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) in 1990?
  (Before the passage of the A.D.A., people with disabilities were sometimes barred from attending public school and many places were not accessible. Restaurants could refuse to serve them, and workplaces were legally allowed to refuse to hire people with disabilities. Many children with disabilities were kept out of sight at institutions.) 

• How did the A.D.A. change life for people with disabilities? How was the A.D.A. different from Section 504? 
  (The A.D.A. made it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities and required that public places be accessible to them, for example by installing wheelchair ramps. As a result, people with disabilities were able to more easily go to school, use public buses, and access places like grocery stores. The A.D.A. applies to all aspects of public life; Section 504 applies only to programs receiving federal aid.)   

• The article says that Judy Heumann knew that it was the world that needed to change, not herself. What does that mean? In what ways did Heumann help bring about change?
  (That means that the public’s perception of people with disabilities as well as physical elements of the world needed to change. Heumann helped bring about that change by suing after being discriminated against and protesting.)

• Section 504 was implemented in 1977. Based on details in the article, as well as your own understandings about the world, why do you think the A.D.A. wasn’t passed until 1990?
  (Responses will vary, but students should support their ideas with evidence, such as text details about biases against people with disabilities and potential costs of making updates for accessibility.)

5. Use the Primary Source:
Project or distribute the PDF A More Perfect Union (or assign it in Google Classroom), which features excerpts from the speech President George H. W. Bush gave before signing the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990. Discuss what makes the speech a primary source. (It provides firsthand evidence concerning the topic.) Have students read the excerpts and answer the questions below (which appear on the PDF without answers)..

• How would you describe the tone and purpose of these excerpts from Bush’s speech? (The tone can be described as formal yet celebratory. The purpose is to acknowledge the importance of the act and inform the public about how it will make the U.S. a more equal society.)

• What main idea does Bush express about the U.S. in his speech? Which details support this main idea? (The main idea Bush expresses about the U.S. is that it is a place where people are supposed to be equal. The details in the first paragraph about living up to the principles established by the Founders support this idea. His remarks in the last paragraph about not accepting discrimination in America also support this main idea.)

• Who does Bush address with an appeal to logos (logic)? What is his line of reasoning? (Bush addresses business owners with an appeal to logos. He lays out the argument that ending discrimination in the workforce against people with disabilities is good because doing so will increase the pool of workers—specifically with people who have a low turnover rate—and will also have a positive effect on the economy. Government spending to support people with disabilities will go down, and more people will participate in the economy.)

• What historic moment does Bush allude to in the last two paragraphs of his speech? What idea does he emphasize with this allusion? (Bush alludes to the fall of the Berlin Wall—which increased freedom for people in formerly Communist nations. Bush then compares signing the A.D.A. to the tearing down of the Wall. This comparison emphasizes a theme of his speech—that the A.D.A. will help bring equality to people with disabilities and make the U.S. a more equal and perfect society.)

• Based on the Upfront article and the excerpts from Bush’s speech, how did Section 504 and the A.D.A. improve access to job opportunities for people with disabilities? (Students may note access to education, physical access to offices, and other factors.)

6. Writing Prompt
Do you think Franklin D. Roosevelt would have been elected president in 1932 if he had appeared openly in public in his wheelchair? Do you think he would be elected today? Explain in a brief essay.

7. Quiz
Use the Test Your Knowledge quiz to assess comprehension.

8. Classroom Debate
Will the U.S. ever be a truly equal society?

9. Speaking With Meaning
Assign each student a paragraph from the Primary Source lesson. Have students make notes about how to best deliver the paragraph as a speech (e.g., words to emphasize, when to pause). After students present their paragraphs to the class, have them explain their choices.