On July 26, 2026, our nation celebrates the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), one of the most significant civil rights laws in American history.
Signed into law on July 26, 1990, the ADA affirmed a simple yet powerful principle: people with disabilities deserve the same rights, opportunities, and dignity as every other member of our society. The law prohibits discrimination and promotes equal access to employment, public services, transportation, education, telecommunications, and public accommodations. More importantly, it recognizes that accessibility is not a privilege; it is a fundamental right.
Over the past thirty-six years, the ADA has transformed communities across the United States. Curb cuts, accessible entrances, captioned media, accessible transportation, assistive technologies, and inclusive workplaces have become part of everyday life because of the vision and determination of disability advocates who fought for equal opportunity.
Yet the work continues.
Across Montana and throughout the nation, many individuals still encounter barriers that limit independence and participation. Access to reliable transportation, affordable housing, healthcare, employment, and community engagement remains a challenge for many older adults and people with disabilities. Achieving true accessibility requires more than compliance with the law. It requires a shared commitment to removing barriers, changing attitudes, and creating communities where everyone belongs.
At Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT), the principles of the ADA guide our work every day. We believe that independence is strengthened when people have the resources, support, and opportunities to make their own choices and fully participate in community life.
Whether through advocacy, peer support, independent living services, information and referral, transition services, or our RideWell Transportation Program, LIFTT works to ensure that individuals can access healthcare, employment, education, shopping, recreation, and the countless opportunities that make independent living possible.
Transportation, in particular, represents more than simply getting from one place to another. It is access to medical appointments, employment, education, family, friendships, and community life. Reliable, accessible transportation opens doors to independence, self-determination, and opportunity. Every ride provided through RideWell helps strengthen the promise envisioned by the ADA.
As we celebrate this important anniversary, we also recognize the countless individuals whose courage and advocacy changed our nation. Their voices reshaped public policy and challenged society to see disability not as a limitation, but as a natural part of human diversity.
The ADA reminds us that inclusion benefits everyone. Communities become stronger when every person has the opportunity to contribute their talents, experiences, and perspectives. Accessibility improves quality of life not only for people with disabilities but also for older adults, families, veterans, and future generations.
This anniversary is both a celebration and a call to action.
Together, we can continue building communities where barriers are replaced with opportunities, differences are embraced as strengths, and every individual has the freedom to live independently with dignity and respect.
As we honor the 36th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, LIFTT proudly reaffirms our commitment to advancing independence, promoting accessibility, and ensuring that every person has the opportunity to thrive.
Because when we remove barriers, we create possibilities.
And when everyone has the opportunity to participate, our entire community moves forward.
This year, LIFTT is celebrating the 36th anniversary of the ADA on August 1, 2026, with the event Hidden Treasures & Grand Journeys: An Evening of Opportunity for LIFTT,” designed as a curated community experience that brings together discovery, generosity, and impact. The concept reflects the unique structure of the event, where guests can engage with a diverse range of auction offerings, from upLIFTT Thrift store items and handcrafted jewelry, described as “hidden treasures,” to high-value travel and experience packages representing “grand journeys.” This layered approach creates an inclusive and engaging environment for participants at all giving levels, while reinforcing the broader mission of LIFTT. The event is positioned not only as a fundraiser but as an opportunity to connect community members to the tangible impact of supporting mobility, independence, and access across the region.
The power of the ADA is not found only in the law itself, but in the lives it has transformed, and in the work we continue together to ensure its promise reaches everyone.
Happy 36th Anniversary, ADA!
About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilites and aging indivduals with programs, services, resources and advocacy that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org
Our Vision: Empowering aging individuals and people with disabilities to LIFTT themselves above the barriers of life.
Our Mission: Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow’s (LIFTT’s) mission as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Center for Independent Living serving Southeastern Montana is to empower aging individuals and people with disabilities to live independently through education, support, and opportunities.
