Updated as of October 8, 2024.
July is Disability Pride Month because the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed on July 26, 1990. The ADA built upon earlier legislation to strengthen the civil rights protections of individuals with disabilities.
In July 2023, our Maryland Bridges Technical Assistance Center celebrated #DisabilityPrideMonth with a series of video interviews about the origins of the ADA and its impact over the past three decades.
This video interview investigates the role of the ADA in employment and the impact of the U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency promoting the equality of disabled individuals, from its Executive Director, Dr. Sachin Dev Pavithran. Learn more on the U.S. Access Board website.
ADA in Employment and Government Video Interview
Join Bridges’ Project Coordinator Chris Nusbaum and Director Carlton Anne Cook Walker In this ADA in Employment and Government video interview as we learn about the U.S. Access Board and how it helps further the promise of the ADA and other civil rights laws from its Executive Director, Dr. Sachin Dev Pavithran.
In addition, Dr. Pavithran shares his lived experience as a blind immigrant and how he values the very different approaches to disability in his country of birth and in the United States. He then provides advice to disabled transition-age youth and their families and gives his assessment of disability-related obstacles that remain and that must be addressed as we move forward.
Dr. Pavithran holds undergraduate degrees in Business Information Systems and in Marketing as well as a Master’s degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling and a Ph.D. in Disability Disciplines from Utah State University. He served on the U.S. Access Board (including service as its Vice-Chair and its Chair) for eight years prior to being named its Executive Director. He also served the Utah State University in the areas of ADA coordination, disability, and assistive technology, including serving as Director of Policy for the Center for Persons with Disabilities.
Link to video transcript
Contents of the video interview with time stamps
Welcome and Introduction by Chris Nusbaum at 0:01
About Dr. Sachin Dev Pavithran and the U.S. Access Board at 1:31
Sachin’s Early Years at 1:48
Coming to America After High School at 2:31
Sachin’s First Career and His Path to Advocacy for Disability Rights at 3:36
The U.S. Access Board at 4:38
Comparing Disability-Related Cultural Differences In and Out of the U.S. at 5:49
Impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on Jobs and Employment at 8:17
Employer Attitudes Toward Job Seekers with Disabilities at 10:21
Potential Impact of Government Policy on Employment for Blind Individuals at 11:56
Dr. Pavithran’s Advice to Transition-age Youth and Their Support Systems at 13:45
Addressing Technological Barriers at 18:22
Ever-changing Landscape of Information Communication Technology at 20:36
Check Out The Bridges YouTube Channel
The Bridges Technical Assistance Center has a YouTube channel that contains all of our video offerings. Please check them out!
Contact the Bridges Helpdesk for More Information
- Our Accessible web form
- Email: Helpdesk@imagemd.org
- Text: Send to: (410) 357-1546
- Voice mail: Call (410) 357-1546, leave a voice mail message, and we will return your call
This unique project is being coordinated through The IMAGE Center of Maryland, a center for independent living in Towson, and it is funded by a grant from the Maryland Department of Education Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services.