Melissa Ortiz on the Disability Rights Movement
Disability rights is a global social and civil rights movement that advocates for equal opportunities, accessibility, and freedom from discrimination. The goal is to ensure that people with disabilities participate fully and equally in society free from barriers in employment, healthcare, architecture, and education.
It has been more than thirty-five years since President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. Yet, despite many years of advocacy, the scope, breadth, and goals of the movement are less known than activism for racial and sex equality. So, Wesley thought he would look into the movement to recount its successes and goals yet to be achieved.
His guest is Melissa Ortiz, founder and principal of Capability Consulting, an award-winning speaker, and a self-described “relentlessly resilient warrior princess (RRWP).” At Capability Consulting she advises on ADA-compliance, accessibility, and disability policy. She served as a presidential appointee and has written op-eds for USA Today, the Washington Examiner, and other publications. She has been interviewed by numerous TV and radio outlets, including the BBC, Fox News, and One America news.
Ortiz has also served as a visiting fellow for the Independent Women’s Forum and in 2005 served as Ms. Wheelchair New York. She is now the VP of the Board of the Spina Bifida Patients Association.
Melissa currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband Tony and service dog, Annie Oakley, a chocolate brindle dachshund.