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July 31, 2025: After 35 years, the triumphs of the Americans with Disabilities Act — and the work still to be done

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A woman is seated behind a studio microphone and holding hands with a man also seated behind a studio microphone. She is wearing a white shirt and he is wearing a grey shirt. They are looking at each other and smiling.
Chandra Thomas Whitfield/CPR News
Gisa McCray Simmons, a civil rights outreach specialist with the Regional Transportation District (RTD), and Curtis Garrett. a Disaster Preparedness Coordinator for the Atlantis Community, greet one another in the CPR News studios. They joined Colorado Matters Host Chandra Thomas Whitfield to talk about the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

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It was 35 years ago that the Americans with Disabilities Act -- widely known as the ADA -- was signed into law, protecting the rights of people with disabilities in all areas of public life. Today, we look at its impact as it relates to transportation, as an advocate details the work still to be done. Then, a new executive order from President Trump aims to get cities to remove people who are unhoused from the streets. Also, meet Joel Medina — a tattoo artist in Thornton, whose own story of loss, recovery, and second chances is etched into every piece he creates.