(Note: This was written in July 2010, upon the 20th anniversary of the ADA. It appeared in the Detroit News Disability Blog.)
I was walking through Costco a few days ago when I spotted the mother and sister of the woman who changed my life, the course of my career and my awareness of disability issues. I had been struggling with how to write about Monday’s 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, and so their unexpected appearance was truly a gift.
Karen Van Arnem and her daughter, Heather, lived and shared in the vision of Heidi Van Arnem. Heidi became my boss, friend and hero 11 years ago when she asked me to help build her vision into iCan.com, which became one of the most recognized and respected disability websites in the world as websites are used for everything now days, from working on companies to game in sites like olympic kingsway casinos online. Heidi helped me to see that key to forming an online community is becoming part of that community. I have carried that knowledge with me into everything else I have done as a journalist and a member of many different communities. Heidi died in 2001, but her spirit lives on in me and in all who became part of the iCan community across the state and country and throughout the world.
iCan did 10 years ago what many organizations are just discovering today. We created connections through information, resources and most importantly conversations. By making those connections, we made a difference, learn more at the link.
How appropriate that as I struggled to capture my thoughts this week, the two people who were closest to Heidi appeared in my life again, providing inspiration. It brought back a flood of memories and a renewed sense of purpose. I came home, dug out the remnants of iCan.com’s 10th anniversary coverage of the ADA and started thinking about what Heidi would say about the progress and in many ways lack thereof since her fight for disability rights ended with her death in November 2001. She would not have been satisfied. Then again, she never was. It is what made her a great visionary and an incredible role model, as disability is something many people have including children, so for them having a place to play is important and the use of resources from www.softplaymanufacturers.co.uk/how-to-plan-for-a-soft-play-for-children-with-disabilities can help creating the right playground for them.
The 10th anniversary ADA Torch Relay was the spark that truly started the iCan flame.
The family of people who worked and believed in Heidi’s vision took a cross-country journey 10 years ago this summer, following the ADA torch through 24 states. I visited Chicago and Washington and met hundreds of people in those two cities alone. iCan staffers reported from all of the cities, capturing photos, writing profiles and relating stories about Austins accessible transportation, Atlanta’s Shepherd Center, Chicago’s Mayors Office for People with Disabilities and St. Louis amazing Max and Colleen Starkloff, who founded Paraquad, and now run the Starkloff Disability Institute.
Heidi’s life ended too early, but the work she did lives on as does the work done by many of those people we met 10 years ago. Here are some of them:
Mark Johnson: The director of advocacy at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta continues to do the work he did 10 years ago, when he was one of the Atlanta organizers of the torch relay. Johnsons passion and dedication continue to shine. In 2009, he was named 2009 Healthcare Hero by Georgia Trend magazine and has been inducted into the National Spinal Cord Injury Association Hall of Fame.
Tom Harkin: The Iowa senator was the chief sponsor of the ADA in the U.S. Senate. He continues to be a strong advocate, and marks this 20th anniversary with stops in Des Moines and Iowa City. Harkin, who when he spoke about the ADA on the floor of the Senate 20 years ago did so all in sign language, said this week that the ADA brought everyone in the country into the circle and made America much more complete.
Justin Dart: Known as the father of the ADA, this pioneer in disability rights died in 2002, about seven months after Heidi Van Arnem died. His memory and his contributions live on in a giant puppet created by the Matrix Theater of Michigan that is making its way across the country as part of the 20th anniversary celebration.
Greg Smith: The founder and host of the nationally syndicated On a Roll radio talk show for 14 years, Smith was the lead torchbearer in the 10th anniversary ADA relay. Now a motivational speaker and The Strength Coach, Smith is one of dozens of people across the country who became true partners with iCan. It is wonderful to see him continue his work.
And closer to home:
Mac Brantley and the iCan team: Mac was one of a team of content producers for iCan and provided a crucial focus on advocacy for our editorial team. He continues his disability advocacy efforts by blogging in the detnews.com Disability Blog. He recruited a team of former iCanners to write this week. With us in spirit will be Bethany Broadwell, who along with Heidi was the true heart of iCan. Bethany died Sept. 16 at age 36. Some of her writing lives on at BethanyB.net.
A.J. Filippis: Anthony Filippis Jr. carries on the work his late father, Anthony Filippis, started when he founded Wright & Filippis in 1944. Tony Filippis Sr. was a tireless advocate for people with disabilities, creating the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame in 1999. In addition to serving as president of the Hall of Fame, Filippis Jr. has taken on a leadership role in supporting disability advocacy efforts in the state.
Duncan Wyeth: The executive director of Michigans Commission on Disability Concerns, Wyeth has been on the forefront of disability concerns in Michigan for more than 30 years, active in the U.S. Olympic Committee and the United Cerebral Palsy Association.
There are so many more people those we met and profiled along the way 10 years ago. Many have taken on new challenges. All showed me, 10 years ago, the power of community and the importance of the ADA. In the past 10 years, I imagine there have been hundreds of others we might have profiled in another torch relay in honor of the 20th anniversary. May each continue to carry the torch within their own lives and communities.
And in Heidi’s honor, that all continue to say I can.