July 26, 2025 marks the 35th anniversary of the passage of one of the most pivotal civil rights bills in U.S. history – the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
In recognition of this landmark occasion and as a longtime leader in media accessibility, GBH has produced a wealth of content about the disability community, beginning with AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’s documentary, Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act. Directed by Jim LeBrecht and written/produced by Chana Gazit, the film captures the multigenerational, bipartisan struggle for accessibility and equality.
In the words of Cameo George, Executive Producer of AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, “When we premiered Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act, we made it available and accessible to all by completing four versions: one with closed captions, one interpreted with American Sign Language and open captions, another with extended audio description, and one with Spanish language closed captions. That was a first for us.”
“To complement the film,” she continues, “we hosted events in D.C. on campus at Gallaudet University [the world’s first university for the deaf and hard of hearing], the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History, and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas.”
The film is available to stream on the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE website, PBS.org, the PBS app, and YouTube, and viewers who watch on the latter will have access to the captioned, extended audio description versions of the film through July.
THE CURB-CUT EFFECT YouTube Series
Inspired by curb-cuts – the slight slope from a sidewalk to a roadway – which were won after a hard-fought battle by disability rights activists, GBH and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE produced THE CURB-CUT EFFECT, a four-part YouTube series documenting similarly crucial, if seemingly mundane, victories – like carrot peelers and audiobooks – in the fight for universal design and accessibility.
Digital Shorts and Videos
Alongside the film, GBH and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE produced videos exploring the little-known history of the three million workers with disabilities who joined the effort on the home front during World War II and their role in winning the war; and how the tragedy of the Challenger explosion unexpectedly led to a critical meeting in the decades-long fight for the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Additionally, GBH partnered with content creators from the disability community to create social media posts and an original digital short video series sharing moments from the history of the fight for disability rights.
In a vertical video for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’s social media platforms, Haben Girma discusses the history of curb-cuts and truncated domes as an example of the power of bringing all voices to the table when thinking about accessibility.
The first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Girma is a human rights lawyer advancing disability justice. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change, and the World Health Organization appointed her Commissioner of Social Connection. She received the Helen Keller Achievement Award, a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and TIME100 Talks. She believes disability is an opportunity for innovation, and she travels the world teaching organizations the importance of choosing inclusion.
In a vertical video for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’s social media platforms, Aubrey Smalls shares the story of Colleen Fraser, who helped draft the Americans with Disabilities Act and was a tireless advocate for those with disabilities.
A filmmaker with dwarfism and host of the viral history series, “Dwarfism History,” Smalls focuses on highlighting the untold stories of people with dwarfism throughout history and showcasing the community in a way that has never been done before.
In a vertical video for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’s social media platforms, Sarah Todd Hammer shares the story of when she met and interviewed the “mother of the disability rights movement,” Judy Heumann, and her legacy.
Hammer is a 23-year-old, three-time published author, speaker, and disability advocate and consultant. She uses her disability inclusion and accessibility expertise, paired with her lived experience as a disabled individual, to educate individuals and businesses on how to create and foster disability inclusive products, services, and environments.
In a vertical video for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’s social media platforms, Catarina Rivera - The Blindish Latina, shares the history of Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías, a pioneering physician, public health advocate, and the first Latina president of the American Public Health Association. Dr. Rodriguez fought for reproductive rights, maternal and child healthcare, and against forced sterilization including people with disabilities, particularly in Puerto Rico and marginalized communities in the U.S.
Catarina Rivera, MSEd, MPH, CPACC is a public speaker and DEIA consultant with over 14 years of experience in the public sector. She works with companies to improve disability awareness, inclusion, and accessibility. Rivera founded Blindish Latina, a platform smashing disability stigmas through storytelling and advocacy. She has worn hearing aids from a young age and was diagnosed with a progressive vision disability at 17 years old. She has a BA from Duke University, an MSEd from Bank Street College of Education, and an MPH from Hunter College. Her Instagram page @BlindishLatina was an official 2024 Webby Awards Nominee.
Everyday Heroes Digital Trading Cards
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE also produced a series of digital graphic trading cards, called Everyday Heroes to be distributed across Instagram. Seven disability rights activists from the movement, including leaders like Anita Cameron and Judy Heumann are featured in original illustrations commissioned from artists in the disability community; each illustration is accompanied by a short bio and statistics of each figure’s accomplishments and contributions to the disability rights movement.
Audience Reception
And here is a glimpse into the audience’s reception to Change, Not Charity, including some comments from activists featured in the film:
- “Thank you for this! It is so important that the general public learns of the fight for civil rights by the disabled community, as these civil and human rights are being stripped away. I am proud to have been part of the fight. I did that Capitol Crawl and the Rotunda Takeover in the fight for the ADA. Again, thank you for telling our story!” – Anita Cameron
- “One of my proudest accomplishments during my time in Congress was working closely with my friend Tony Coehlo to champion the passage of the ADA. I am honored to be a part of the film, capturing the courage and perseverance of the fight to secure protections for people with disabilities and ensure every aspect of American life is accessible to all.” – Rep. Steny Hoyer
- “I am deeply moved by the new [AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film] Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) story of the decades-long push for equality and accessibility that culminated in the 1990 passage of the ADA, one of the most consequential civil rights bills in the nation’s history.
This reminds us all of the power of our voices and the collective strength we have when we stand together. The signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act was a pivotal moment in our history, we must continue to honor its legacy by ensuring that every child, regardless of their abilities, has the opportunity to thrive. Together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable world for all. I appreciate PBS for continuing to tell local, national, and international history through well made documentaries.” – Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera (CO) - “This makes my chest swell, it’s the first time I’ve seen my mother’s activism acknowledged. My earliest memories are being at the planning meetings for these rallies and descending on Washington, D.C.” – le.butler.did.it (Instagram)
- “This film could not be more timely or important. Anyone who thinks that this issue only applies to people with disabilities is gravely mistaken. Disability rights are human rights, and when one is endangered, all of them are endangered…This story and the lessons in it apply to ALL of us, with or without a disability, regardless of sex, ethnicity, or religion. Watch and learn.” – @Ingrid Wiltse (Facebook)
- “This makes me cry because I have only been handicapped for 7 years and I appreciate what has been done and didn’t know the extreme measures taken so recently to get to the point we are currently at, and yet we still have so far to go.” – @LadyElsena (Youtube)
Read about GBH’s accessibility history, and learn about its ongoing commitment to people with disabilities by visiting The Carl and Ruth Shapiro National Center for Accessible Media page and GBH Media Access Group page. If you have additional questions about Accessibility at GBH, please contact GBH’s Executive Director of Accessibility, Donna Danielewski at accessibility@wgbh.org.
