Chicago Politics

Disability Pride Celebration 7.22.25

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities' Disability Pride Celebration.

Transcript

0:28 If everybody could grab a seat, that would be fantastic if we were unconnected with our program. How's everybody doing? Thumbs up. Thank you so much for coming today to help us honor the 35th anniversary of the America's Red Disability Act. This is such an important milestone for our community.

0:58 And today we honor all that we have accomplished in the past 35 years. And we also honor 35 years of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities. I am so honored to be Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities. It is such a privilege to do this work every single day and to be an advocate for you and for our disability community.

1:34 But I don't do this work alone. I do this work with many of our city departments that are here, with our community. This is a true whole city of Chicago effort. If there's somebody else that I got to do this work with, that's Mayor Brantle-Charleson. Mayor Brandon Johnson is a champion for people with disabilities.

2:11 He has been such an advocate for all of our programs and services here at the city and MRPD and across the city. Without further ado, I'd like for Mayor Johnson to come up. Well, thank you, Commissioner Arfa, for that introduction and for your leadership. And good afternoon, everyone. I'm honored to be with you here today as we celebrate the incredible work that has gone into the transformation as well as the hopes of our ancestors to ensure that people with disabilities are secure, seen, loved, protected.

3:06 And I'm honored that we do this today, also celebrating Disability Pride Month as well. I do want to give a special thanks to MOPD Commissioner Arfa for her vision in creating this event and the entire MOPD team and all the partners that have made this opportunity available today. I want to thank the City Colleges of Chicago, our Chancellor Juan Salgado, and of course, Malcolm X, President, President David Sanders, for always opening up his doors for the community.

3:53 Let me give a shout out to this morning's program for elevating youth employment. You know, we got here today because of the hard work and the investments that have been made for the last several decades. And to hear the incredible work being done at Wright Community College's Project Wright Access Program, it's a powerful testament to the ongoing work to lift up the community.

4:24 as well as Daily Colleges After 22 program, which gives students with disabilities the opportunity to attend city colleges and earn a certificate. We also got to hear from One Summer Chicago staff and students with disabilities. And I'm so proud that One Summer Chicago will hire almost 29,000 young people for summer jobs this summer, a 45% increase since I took office.

5:04 A special thank you to all of our students, and particularly Jonathan, Watma, Megan, Lynn Green, and D'Owen Avery for serving on this panel. But I also want to recognize our MLPD Career Center for not only organizing this panel, but for achieving incredible success by helping more than 165 job seekers with disabilities find meaningful employment.

5:42 Today we gather to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And this milestone anniversary takes place during Pride Disability Month. We recognize that anyone can become disabled and join the disability community. This can happen at any time. It can happen through illness, accidents, or even violence. The ADA grants people with disabilities civil rights and protections

6:17 to ensure that our disability community can live, travel, work, and play in our beloved city. We know that the fight for disability, the fight for disability civil rights, has not been without its challenges. And that is why we are so appreciative of our disability community advocates, especially those who played a key role in bringing about the passage of the ADA. Here in Chicago, we are continuing the work to protect and empower our disability community.

6:57 And last year, the city of Chicago phased out sub-minimum wage under the Department of Labor 14C certificate. And this year, the state of Illinois passed the Dignity and Pay Act, eliminating sub-minimum wage at the state level. because if you are working, regardless of your disability, you deserve equal pay and protection under the law.

7:30 Now we are working to update our transit system by upgrading rail infrastructure and stations with elevators, escalators, and system upgrades that will meet the needs of all of our residents, no matter their mobility needs. And just yesterday, we opened another accessible L station at the Argyle Red Line stop as part of our commitment to making sure that the L system is 100% accessible.

8:05 So far, so far we have 104 accessible stations and 100% of our buses are now accessible. So we're celebrating. We're celebrating the anniversary also of the creation of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities. And Commissioner Arfa leads the largest MOPD in the entire country. And under her leadership, the MOPD has made many great contributions and incredible change

8:41 that has enabled the disability community to have access to home modification programs, which makes homes more accessible and ADA friendly for those who need them. We are always working to ensure that our buildings and our parks, our sidewalks, and our streets are safe and accessible for our disability community and really all of our residents. And I want to thank all of the organizations and representatives who have worked so hard to make a difference in the lives of the disability community

9:20 and for being here today and demonstrating your collective humanity. There's power in it. There's power to change lives. There's power to improve lives. There's power to transform our society. And that's why my administration is humbled to work alongside of the MOPD and our commitment to making Chicago the most accessible and inclusive city in the world. so please know that you have my complete

10:01 support. You have the support of my entire administration to ensure that those individuals that are living with disabilities can live safe, productive, and successful lives. This is personal. Whether you have a physical disability or whether you are struggling with your own mental health, that each and every single disability deserves, a person with a disability deserves the comfort in knowing that a city loves you

10:34 and is prepared to do everything in its power to protect you. And so with that, in honor of this anniversary, I am proud to present this proclamation on behalf of the city of Chicago, whereas the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law July 26, the year 1990 with the express purpose of providing a clear and comprehensive national mandate

11:05 for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities and whereas July 26, 2025 marks the 35th anniversary of the passage of the ADA And so now, therefore, be it resolved, I, Mayor Brandon Johnson, of the greatest, most accessible, freaking city in the world, do hereby proclaim that this date, July 26th of 2025, will always be proclaimed the anniversary, the 35th anniversary of the ADA passage.

11:43 But we also have, and we also have some very special people to thank. And so in honor of this anniversary, I'm proud to present the Community Champion Award.

12:14 An award to three organizations that are helping to make a difference in the disability community. And the first award goes to Ada S. McKinley Community Services, led by CEO Jamal Malone. All right, bear with me. I'm about to get my steps in here.

13:05 The second award goes to Devices for the Disabled, represented today by Bob Shia and Edgar Irenio for their work in providing medical equipment to people who become disabled as a result of gun and community violence. I feel like I get a chance to introduce all these amazing heroes.

14:12 Doesn't it feel like we are at the Tonys or the Grammys? Doesn't this feel good? Doesn't it feel good to be celebrated in a way that really speaks to the power of community? Doesn't that feel great? And so now, the final award goes to, and before I give this final award, I just want to say, you know, it's always great to have these type of formal presentations because in our community, many of our members of our communities have nicknames.

14:50 And so this award allows me to give this brother an opportunity to hear his full government. name out loud, which I just learned a couple years ago. So the final award goes to Chicagoland Disabled People of Color, represented by J. Jin Pack and Timotheus, aka TJ Gordon, for

15:20 their work in promoting disability pride and acceptance amongst disabled people of color in our city. So one more time, let's give it up for the

16:18 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and to all of our awardees. Thank you all and God bless you. Thank you, Mayor Johnson. This is Commissioner Irving and I just wanted to say congratulations to each of the awardees, the Chicagoland Disabled People of Color Coalition

16:49 Devices for the Disabled and Ada S. McCarthy community services. Let's do another round of applause. Oh, um, I loved it. Um, you're right. This is kind of like the Tony's meal. So, at the moment, people really grown, um, because they cut the cheesecake. Woo!

17:19 And, um, I'm going to ask Alana to come to the stage with, um, a nice cheesecake knife. Oh, here, she's got my...

18:48 Now we're going to ask everybody from the mayor's office for people with disabilities to come up for a photo. And then we'll ask, and then followed by the awardees with your acquisition. And anybody else that wants a photo with the mayor, please come up. And then we will take a pause for the next, we'll be doing this until 1.30.

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