Thirty years ago, East and West Germany reunited after the fall of the Soviet Union. It was 1990, the same year The World Wide Web debuted, plus singer Mariah Carey’s blockbuster hit, "Vision of Love," kicked off her career. And President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) banning discrimination against millions of Americans in education, transportation, and public accommodations. Three decades later, the 1 in 4 adult Americans with disabilities have benefitted from the ADA’s protections. But the benefits are being threatened by the wide-ranging impact of COVID-19, and by the ever-widening inequities in health care and employment. In this 30th anniversary year of the passage of the ADA, the disability rights movement looks back to the bill’s legacy and ahead to new challenges.

Guests:

Kristen McCosh, commissioner of the Disabilities Commission for the City of Boston.

Michael Stein, executive director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability and visiting professor at Harvard Law School.

Jeffrey Yasuo Mansfield, design director at MASS Design Group and a Disability Futures Fellow.

Plus, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, Aaron Wegehaupt, joined to facilitate communication between everyone.

This is the time of good cheer and goodwill towards all — the season of giving. 75 percent of Americans say they give to charities during December, but more of them are choosing to give directly to individuals. And the pandemic has disrupted the way charities connect with donors. Blame COVID-19 for this year’s smaller number of Salvation Army red kettle bell ringers. Now, at a time when the need is at historic levels, charities are at risk of losing the nearly one third of their annual donations, traditionally collected this month. What’s more, 2020 has changed how giving happens, who donors give to, and reshaped the reasons why they give.

Guests:

Bobby Whithorne, director of North America Communications for GoFundMe, an American for-profit crowdfunding platform.

Laura Gee, behavioral economist and associate professor of economics at Tufts University.

Show Credits:

Under the Radar with Callie Crossley is a production of GBH, produced by Hannah Uebele and engineered by Dave Goodman.