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[Logo: Ampers, with tagline: Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities.]
[Photo: Sam Jasmine]
Sam Jasmine: I remember being in this public school and I had to go ask the teacher if he’d be willing to teach me. Then, they could say no and there’s nothing we could do about it.
[Logo: Ampers, with taglines: Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities, and Keep Moving Forward.]
Host: This is Keep Moving Forward.
[Photo: President George H.W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. Photo courtesy of the George Bush Presidential Library.]
George H. W. Bush: Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.
[Logos: ADA 25: Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990-2015, and Disability Rights Are Civil Rights. Logos courtesy of the ADA National Network, www.adata.org.]
Host: Exploring the legacy and promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
[Photos: Sam Jasmine, her family and service dog]
Sam Jasmine: My name is Sam Jasmine. I am visually impaired. I have no vision. I learned fast that when I was wanting things like, oh, I don’t know, a job in high school, if I were to call them up and say, “Hey, I’m blind, I think I could do your job,” there was an automatic “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” (laughs)
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Early on, I learned the “persuade” argument. I came in and sat down, and said, “Look, you tell me what you think I would have trouble with in this job, and I will tell you how I would accomplish it, and then I’ll tell you my fears about what I think would be hard.” It clears the air a little bit and gives people a little more freedom to be able to tell you what their concerns are.
[Logos: the Minnesota Council on Disability, the Minnesota Humanities Center, the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund, and the Ampers radio station.]
Host: Keep Moving Forward is supported by the Minnesota Council on Disability, the Minnesota Humanities Center, and the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund, online at Ampers.org.