WEBVTT - How ADA Hero Deborah McFadden Paved the Way for Disability Equality 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:03.210 In an orphanage, it is survival of the fittest. And 0:00:04.860 --> 0:00:06.870 the director told me, she said, " We prayed every day 0:00:06.870 --> 0:00:09.420 for her to die because we knew there was no 0:00:09.420 --> 0:00:11.131 life that was possible for her." 0:00:11.131 --> 0:00:11.132 Wow. 0:00:11.132 --> 0:00:14.370 Because they didn't have a vision of it. And I don't 0:00:14.370 --> 0:00:16.079 want to say it's just Russia. That was the way we 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:18.690 were in America, too, back in the '50s. There was 0:00:18.690 --> 0:00:23.340 no chance. But Tatyana had a spark for life and 0:00:23.340 --> 0:00:26.790 wanting to be involved. And I've told all my kids, 0:00:26.790 --> 0:00:31.380 I said, " You can be whatever you want to be. We'll figure 0:00:31.380 --> 0:00:31.740 it out." 0:00:35.190 --> 0:00:37.830 Hey, everybody, and welcome to Set the Pace, the official 0:00:37.830 --> 0:00:41.519 podcast of New York Roadrunners, presented by Peloton. I'm your 0:00:41.520 --> 0:00:44.580 host, Rob Simmelkjaer, the CEO of New York Roadrunners, joined 0:00:44.580 --> 0:00:48.510 this week by my co- host, Peloton instructor, Becs Gentry. 0:00:48.510 --> 0:00:52.470 And it was a lovely, lovely 4th of July break. 0:00:52.470 --> 0:00:56.310 Everybody in New York Roadrunners enjoyed a little downtime after 0:00:56.310 --> 0:00:58.890 a very busy month of June. We have so many 0:00:58.890 --> 0:01:02.790 events in June. People all think that November must be 0:01:02.790 --> 0:01:05.370 the busiest month at New York Roadrunners. And of course, 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:07.650 it's very, very busy for the first few days of 0:01:07.650 --> 0:01:11.340 November, but the entire month of June is so packed 0:01:11.340 --> 0:01:13.979 for us with all the events we have, from the 0:01:14.010 --> 0:01:19.230 MasterCard Mini 10K to the Citizens Queens 10K. To finishing 0:01:19.230 --> 0:01:21.810 the month with a real bang, we had the Front 0:01:21.810 --> 0:01:25.680 Runners New York LGBT Pride Run, and then the very 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:29.310 next day, the Achilles Run as well. And so it 0:01:29.310 --> 0:01:31.620 was a packed weekend, and it was nice to get 0:01:31.620 --> 0:01:33.750 a little downtime from that. I started doing a little 0:01:33.750 --> 0:01:37.259 bit more running over the 4th. Enjoyed some outdoor time, 0:01:37.260 --> 0:01:39.750 some family time. So it was just nice to get 0:01:39.750 --> 0:01:41.850 a little bit of a break. How about you, Becs? 0:01:42.330 --> 0:01:47.370 Well, Rob, this past lovely long weekend was glorious. It 0:01:47.370 --> 0:01:50.910 was sunny, it was warm, and it was full of 0:01:50.910 --> 0:01:54.240 activities for me. We did not venture to the beach. 0:01:54.930 --> 0:01:59.760 I saw you had early 4th of July fireworks in Connecticut. 0:01:59.820 --> 0:02:00.150 Yeah. 0:02:00.210 --> 0:02:03.930 We are Brooklyn based and we actually got to see 0:02:03.930 --> 0:02:08.610 the fireworks from our roof on Friday, which was unreal. 0:02:08.610 --> 0:02:11.669 We got a free front row seat to the 4th of 0:02:11.669 --> 0:02:14.430 July fireworks here in the city, which is unreal. But 0:02:14.430 --> 0:02:16.620 that set me up for an amazing day on Saturday. 0:02:16.620 --> 0:02:19.139 We were super busy at Peloton, which was epic. So 0:02:19.139 --> 0:02:22.710 many people in the city on vacation. But then I 0:02:22.710 --> 0:02:26.459 competed in the inaugural Bandit Grand Prix race this weekend, 0:02:26.490 --> 0:02:31.829 which was, dare I say it to you, Rob, but 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:36.360 one of the most incredible running events that I have 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:39.389 been to in a very long time. I wasn't the 0:02:39.389 --> 0:02:41.700 only New York Roadrunners person there. I will say we 0:02:41.700 --> 0:02:44.040 had the amazing Ted, he was there as well. We 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:48.120 hung out. But it was so different and so epic. 0:02:48.120 --> 0:02:52.230 It was heats of 5K races, five 1K loops in 0:02:52.230 --> 0:02:54.360 the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and then there was a superfinal 0:02:55.200 --> 0:02:58.320 at the end, which was a 3K race. It was in 0:02:58.320 --> 0:03:00.570 the heat of the afternoon all the way through to 0:03:00.570 --> 0:03:05.160 the evening. It was sunset, and it was so cool. 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:09.270 Just really, really cool. There was a lot of running 0:03:09.270 --> 0:03:12.450 culture. There were people from all brands, all walks of 0:03:12.450 --> 0:03:15.990 life, and we had so much fun. I am proud 0:03:15.990 --> 0:03:20.310 to say I came joint first in my heat with 0:03:20.310 --> 0:03:23.340 three other females. We crossed the line together. It was 0:03:23.340 --> 0:03:26.280 epic. I seemed to do that a lot. And then 0:03:26.280 --> 0:03:31.649 I think I was eighth overall in the 3K final, but 0:03:32.370 --> 0:03:36.420 just every photo I have, massive smiles. So that was 0:03:36.420 --> 0:03:38.580 a big 4th of July weekend highlight. 0:03:38.760 --> 0:03:41.850 Well, Becs, while our team was on vacation, we announced 0:03:41.850 --> 0:03:44.460 a really exciting new partnership with the New York City 0:03:44.460 --> 0:03:48.450 Department of Transportation. New York Roadrunners is joining forces with 0:03:48.450 --> 0:03:53.370 DOT for the expanded We Outside Summer Streets initiative. If 0:03:53.370 --> 0:03:55.860 you haven't heard about We Outside Summer Streets, it is 0:03:55.860 --> 0:03:58.650 all about opening up even more of our city streets 0:03:58.950 --> 0:04:02.130 to people instead of to cars so that New Yorkers 0:04:02.130 --> 0:04:06.060 can enjoy running, walking, biking, and community events right in 0:04:06.060 --> 0:04:08.640 the heart of the city. So as part of that, 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:12.510 We Outside Summer Streets program, NYRR is launching something brand 0:04:12.510 --> 0:04:16.589 new. It's called the NYRR Start Line series. It is 0:04:16.589 --> 0:04:20.370 a free, beginner- friendly, fun run series. The idea here 0:04:20.370 --> 0:04:24.240 is to make running and walking more accessible and inviting 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:27.390 people to try it out, especially folks who maybe are 0:04:27.600 --> 0:04:29.849 new to the sport or looking to just get a 0:04:29.850 --> 0:04:32.880 fun way to start moving their bodies The first two 0:04:32.880 --> 0:04:37.140 races are happening in Queens and Brooklyn on July 26th 0:04:37.440 --> 0:04:40.890 and August 23rd, respectively. So that's going to be a 0:04:40.890 --> 0:04:43.830 really fun way to get out, get into the city 0:04:43.830 --> 0:04:47.790 streets, no traffic, no cars. Just go out and run 0:04:48.060 --> 0:04:51.750 and connect with the running community, get outside with family, 0:04:51.750 --> 0:04:53.880 with friends, and it doesn't matter. This is not a 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:57.960 race. Your pace doesn't matter. Your experience doesn't matter. And 0:04:57.960 --> 0:05:00.420 did I mention it's free? This is free. So it's 0:05:00.420 --> 0:05:02.220 a great way to start running. If you want more 0:05:02.220 --> 0:05:04.890 information or to sign up, you can check out the 0:05:04.890 --> 0:05:10.170 NYRR Start line series at nyrr. org. These races are 0:05:10.170 --> 0:05:12.210 not sold out like most of our races, so you 0:05:12.210 --> 0:05:14.250 got a chance to go out and sign up today. 0:05:14.610 --> 0:05:17.040 Hope to see you in Queens on July 26th. 0:05:17.430 --> 0:05:21.089 Coming up on today's show is Deborah McFadden, an ADA 0:05:21.390 --> 0:05:26.730 hero with an incredible personal story, who not only played 0:05:26.730 --> 0:05:29.670 a critical role in drafting and helping pass the Americans 0:05:29.670 --> 0:05:33.390 with Disabilities Act, but then went on to raise three 0:05:33.390 --> 0:05:39.150 children, two of whom became Paralympic champions. After Deborah, we'll 0:05:39.150 --> 0:05:42.930 be meeting New York Roadrunners member Christine Ramos, our new 0:05:42.930 --> 0:05:47.130 runner and mother of two who is taking on the 0:05:47.130 --> 0:05:51.300 Berlin Marathon this fall. And then finally, for today's Meb 0:05:51.300 --> 0:05:55.049 Minute with HSS, PT Mohammad Saad will be here to 0:05:55.050 --> 0:05:58.740 talk to us all about cross- training for runners. So 0:05:58.740 --> 0:06:02.099 stay tuned. Try the Peloton app for free and access 0:06:02.100 --> 0:06:05.100 classes for every type of runner. Whether you're training for your 0:06:05.190 --> 0:06:08.910 first race or you're a seasoned pro. From outdoor runs 0:06:08.910 --> 0:06:12.660 and intervals to strength yoga and stretching, you'll find the 0:06:12.660 --> 0:06:16.500 perfect fit for every part of your routine. Whether it's 0:06:16.500 --> 0:06:19.290 a long run day or you just need a quick five- 0:06:19.290 --> 0:06:23.039 minute reset, the Peloton app meets you where you are and 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:27.390 helps you become a stronger, faster runner because it's designed 0:06:27.420 --> 0:06:30.690 for someone like you. Try the app free for 30 0:06:30.690 --> 0:06:33.390 days and download it now from the App Store or 0:06:33.390 --> 0:06:38.700 Google Play. Terms apply. Peloton, the official digital fitness partner 0:06:38.850 --> 0:06:39.990 for New York Roadrunners. 0:06:40.529 --> 0:06:44.550 Our guest today is a true pioneer in disability rights 0:06:44.550 --> 0:06:48.390 and also a proud mom of two champions. Deborah McFadden 0:06:48.810 --> 0:06:52.500 was integral to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities 0:06:52.529 --> 0:06:56.190 Act, and she's also the mother of Tatyana and Hannah 0:06:56.190 --> 0:07:00.270 McFadden, two girls that she adopted from orphanages in Russia 0:07:00.270 --> 0:07:04.110 and Albania who grew up to become elite Paralympic athletes. 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:08.790 Tatyana and Hannah have won multiple Paralympic medals and dominated 0:07:08.790 --> 0:07:12.300 major marathons, and their family even inspired new laws for 0:07:12.300 --> 0:07:16.530 inclusive sports in schools. From shaping national policy to cheering 0:07:16.530 --> 0:07:22.200 at finish lines, Deborah's story intertwines policy, parenting, and sport 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:24.810 in an amazing way. Deborah, we've had a chance to 0:07:24.810 --> 0:07:28.200 have Tatyana here on the show. So it is a 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:30.420 real honor and a pleasure to have you here on 0:07:30.420 --> 0:07:31.290 Set the Pace. Welcome. 0:07:32.190 --> 0:07:32.940 Glad to be here. 0:07:33.810 --> 0:07:37.980 Absolutely. So, gosh, it's hard to know where to start. 0:07:37.980 --> 0:07:39.660 Your story is so incredible, but- 0:07:39.900 --> 0:07:41.491 It's unreal, your story, Deborah. 0:07:41.491 --> 0:07:45.960 Yeah, it really is. But let's start with you, Deborah, and your own 0:07:46.290 --> 0:07:50.580 story. You are 23 years old, you're a graduate student 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:55.530 when you were struck with a rare illness, Guillain- Barre 0:07:55.860 --> 0:08:00.990 syndrome, which actually affected one of the individuals who we 0:08:00.990 --> 0:08:04.950 highlight on the short film we've got now called Final 0:08:04.950 --> 0:08:10.170 Finishers. And it's a terrible disease, an issue that people 0:08:10.170 --> 0:08:14.670 have that leaves people paralyzed, and it left you paralyzed 0:08:14.820 --> 0:08:17.400 at the time from the neck down. Can you talk 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:21.120 about what happened, and not only what happened to you 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:24.300 then, but what you were told in terms of your 0:08:24.300 --> 0:08:26.940 ability to potentially ever walk again? 0:08:27.690 --> 0:08:30.600 Sure, sure. Yeah. Back when I had it, it was 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:35.250 before they really knew what Guillain- Barre was. I was 0:08:35.490 --> 0:08:38.820 actually working at Gallaudet College, which is a school for the 0:08:38.820 --> 0:08:44.099 deaf, which is all done in sign language. And people kept saying, " 0:08:44.100 --> 0:08:46.890 You're mumbling. What are you saying?" And I was slowly going 0:08:46.890 --> 0:08:51.030 paralyzed without knowing it, and went to bed around 5:00. And at 10: 0:08:51.210 --> 0:08:53.939 00, when I woke up, I couldn't move. And unfortunately, 0:08:53.940 --> 0:08:56.040 at a school for the deaf, you can't yell or 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:59.010 scream because no one can hear. But eventually, the next 0:08:59.010 --> 0:09:03.030 day, somebody found me and I ended up in the hospital. 0:09:03.300 --> 0:09:06.059 And again, they didn't know what it was back then. 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:09.360 Now they're doing plasmapheresis, which helps with the recovery. But 0:09:10.620 --> 0:09:12.929 I remember they called my folks and said, " You better 0:09:12.929 --> 0:09:16.140 get here. If she doesn't die, she'll never walk again." 0:09:18.420 --> 0:09:22.740 It's an ascending disease, and they can't stop it. So 0:09:23.010 --> 0:09:25.800 when I left there and I had finished one year 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:29.729 of school. It was in May. And I used to 0:09:29.730 --> 0:09:32.579 be a competitive fencer. I was involved in lots of 0:09:33.630 --> 0:09:36.929 activities and things, and I went from going 100 miles 0:09:36.929 --> 0:09:39.780 an hour to no miles an hour. And I remember 0:09:39.780 --> 0:09:41.640 saying to my parents, I need to go back to 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:46.679 school. I can't do anything. You have to feed me 0:09:46.679 --> 0:09:52.740 and dress me. And I'd rather die living than die 0:09:52.740 --> 0:09:56.070 dying, so to speak. I went back to school, it 0:09:56.070 --> 0:09:59.100 was difficult. It was before all the laws were there, 0:09:59.490 --> 0:10:01.290 and my classes were on the second floor. And I 0:10:01.290 --> 0:10:04.950 remember my classmates carrying me up the stairs and I 0:10:04.950 --> 0:10:08.189 thought, if she dropped me, I don't have a whole lot more to lose. 0:10:10.110 --> 0:10:14.190 I ended up deciding that while I was doing this, 0:10:14.190 --> 0:10:17.760 maybe I would get my special ed certificate to teach. 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:20.490 Not that I wanted to teach, but I had a 0:10:20.490 --> 0:10:23.610 hard time breathing and was just trying to figure out life. 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:28.110 And when I was taking classes, I was a straight- 0:10:28.110 --> 0:10:33.720 A student in school. The university wrote me a letter saying, " 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:36.959 Because you're handicapped, we won't graduate you." And I said, " 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:41.550 You got to graduate me." And they said, " No, we won't because 0:10:41.550 --> 0:10:44.640 no one will hire you." I said, " Yeah, getting a degree 0:10:44.670 --> 0:10:47.970 does not mean you're eligible for employment." It means you've 0:10:48.270 --> 0:10:50.790 passed your classes with a C and maybe some D's 0:10:50.790 --> 0:10:53.940 or F's in there. And it was a terrible time. 0:10:55.260 --> 0:10:58.439 They didn't want me to walk across the stage. They 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:04.050 wouldn't get an accessible ramp up there. So a different 0:11:04.050 --> 0:11:06.600 time. And it was interesting because during that time, I 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:10.500 said, we should be pushing people into their career goal 0:11:10.500 --> 0:11:12.959 that they want, and we should be pushing them to 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:17.010 their highest income tax bracket. In fact, I remember back then, 0:11:18.030 --> 0:11:20.189 one of the services wanted to make me a telephone 0:11:20.190 --> 0:11:23.040 operator. This is where they'd come out with a baseball 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:24.780 hat where you put it on your head and you could dial 0:11:24.780 --> 0:11:29.550 the phone. That's not what I want to be. So 0:11:29.550 --> 0:11:35.160 I ended up going to the career development center at 0:11:35.250 --> 0:11:41.010 the university saying, " Let's do career development for students with 0:11:41.010 --> 0:11:45.179 disabilities and try to get us into good jobs instead 0:11:45.179 --> 0:11:47.850 of in the lower jobs." It just was a different time. 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:52.410 That's so hard to wrap my head around, when you 0:11:52.410 --> 0:11:57.059 say you are a straight- A student, and regardless of your 0:11:57.059 --> 0:12:01.110 grades and, as you said, your dedication to study, the 0:12:01.110 --> 0:12:03.959 fact that you had these great grades, they still wouldn't 0:12:04.230 --> 0:12:12.059 graduate you. So with that in your mind, I love 0:12:12.059 --> 0:12:15.240 your passion and the fire that was obviously still in 0:12:15.240 --> 0:12:19.950 you at that point, to educate yourself even more about 0:12:19.950 --> 0:12:23.699 what was happening, the minutiae of what was happening, and 0:12:23.700 --> 0:12:27.990 then how to make it different and how to push 0:12:28.350 --> 0:12:32.189 this discrimination. And I mean, talk to us a little 0:12:32.190 --> 0:12:35.250 bit more about the first- hand bias and how that 0:12:35.250 --> 0:12:41.010 really influenced you to fight more and more for disability 0:12:41.010 --> 0:12:42.240 rights as the years went on. 0:12:42.809 --> 0:12:47.610 That's a great question, because people knew me before I 0:12:47.610 --> 0:12:51.270 was paralyzed, and then all of a sudden, I'm in a 0:12:51.270 --> 0:12:54.450 wheelchair. I drooled, I had to be fed, I had 0:12:54.450 --> 0:12:58.320 to be helped being dressed, and people treated me like 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:01.679 I was an idiot. They would speak louder to me. 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:05.820 There's nothing wrong with my hearing. And even when, say, 0:13:05.820 --> 0:13:08.790 friends, they would say, " We're going out to the movies." 0:13:08.790 --> 0:13:13.275 And I'll say, "Oh, oh, I'll join." " No, no, it's not 0:13:13.275 --> 0:13:16.140 necessary." They would have to help me into the car. 0:13:16.620 --> 0:13:19.530 So people that I thought were my friends, maybe weren't. 0:13:21.570 --> 0:13:24.900 Remember, I'm a college student. We'd go out for a 0:13:24.900 --> 0:13:27.240 beer and I'd say, " Yes, I'd like a beer with 0:13:27.240 --> 0:13:30.929 a straw, please." And they would say, " Is she allowed 0:13:30.929 --> 0:13:34.710 to drink?" It was always talking around me and not 0:13:34.710 --> 0:13:40.949 with me. And people, they looked down on me all 0:13:40.950 --> 0:13:43.620 because I was different. And I thought, you knew me 0:13:43.620 --> 0:13:48.750 before. The only thing that's changed is my body's not 0:13:48.750 --> 0:13:49.770 working the way you once knew me. 0:13:51.030 --> 0:13:54.990 How, Deborah, did you first of all recover? I mean, 0:13:54.990 --> 0:13:59.880 we're talking to you. You obviously really did prove wrong the 0:13:59.880 --> 0:14:05.250 predictions your doctors said, I think, that you were not likely to walk again. How 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:08.520 much physical recovery were you able to get from the 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:12.150 point you were then to the point you are now? And how did that happen? 0:14:13.230 --> 0:14:15.449 Actually, the doctor said they weren't sure if I was 0:14:15.450 --> 0:14:19.170 going to live because it's an ascending disease, and probably 0:14:19.170 --> 0:14:23.340 another inch, it would've cut my breathing off. But that 0:14:23.340 --> 0:14:28.620 was back in the time where they started neuromuscular stimulation. And 0:14:28.620 --> 0:14:30.870 so I'd have to go in the hospital three to four hours 0:14:30.870 --> 0:14:34.200 a day to stimulate the nerves. I was in a 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.990 electric chair, a power chair for four years and crutches 0:14:36.990 --> 0:14:39.750 on eight. So it took me 12 years to learn 0:14:39.750 --> 0:14:44.220 to walk again and to learn how to do things 0:14:44.220 --> 0:14:50.670 differently. Still, sometimes at the New York Marathon, sometimes I 0:14:50.670 --> 0:14:52.830 have my crushes with me. It's still sometimes hard for 0:14:52.830 --> 0:14:58.170 me to stand, although I walk well. But again, it 0:14:58.170 --> 0:15:01.650 taught me the people do judge a book by its 0:15:01.650 --> 0:15:06.660 cover. You take a look at somebody and you see 0:15:06.660 --> 0:15:10.140 that they have a disability, and you automatically think less 0:15:10.140 --> 0:15:14.250 than, can't do. Why would we hire you in this 0:15:14.250 --> 0:15:17.460 good job? Why would we have you come to an 0:15:17.460 --> 0:15:23.040 elegant event? Because you certainly wouldn't dress nicely. And it 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:29.670 was all those preconceptions that people have. And I remember 0:15:29.670 --> 0:15:34.230 getting annoyed. I said, " I call all of you tabs." " What's 0:15:34.230 --> 0:15:39.840 a tab?" I go, " Temporarily abled body." You never know 0:15:39.840 --> 0:15:42.630 when you will join this group. As a matter of 0:15:42.630 --> 0:15:45.990 fact, the largest population in the world are people with. 0:15:47.850 --> 0:15:54.330 We can come in any country, any socioeconomic status, anything, 0:15:54.450 --> 0:15:55.590 and that's who we are. 0:15:56.970 --> 0:15:59.910 I love that tabs. That's great. I'm going to be 0:15:59.910 --> 0:16:01.530 quoting you for years on that one. 0:16:03.330 --> 0:16:03.991 It really is true when you think about it. I mean, right when you're all- 0:16:03.991 --> 0:16:04.081 It can happen in a heartbeat. 0:16:06.030 --> 0:16:09.780 When you're a healthy able- bodied person, we all know 0:16:10.500 --> 0:16:13.620 that's a temporary status, right? Life is a temporary status. 0:16:13.620 --> 0:16:18.030 So many or most of us pass through some period 0:16:18.030 --> 0:16:23.310 of being challenged physically before we pass away. So it's 0:16:23.310 --> 0:16:24.210 just part of life. 0:16:25.470 --> 0:16:31.380 Absolutely. We can hear that you... I mean, from having, as you 0:16:31.380 --> 0:16:33.990 said, your friends who knew you before, you knew yourself 0:16:33.990 --> 0:16:40.440 before. You had 12 years of this journey and a 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:43.980 whole new experience, the good, the bad, and the ugly. 0:16:43.980 --> 0:16:48.030 I'm sure that went through your mind and your heart 0:16:48.030 --> 0:16:53.820 in those 12 years. But quite famously, your activism, it 0:16:53.820 --> 0:16:57.300 caught the attention of President George H. W. Bush, and 0:16:57.300 --> 0:17:00.300 you were actually appointed the U. S. Commissioner of Disabilities 0:17:00.330 --> 0:17:06.359 in 1989. And just talk through how you felt when 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.270 you got the call from the White House and that 0:17:09.270 --> 0:17:13.230 journey of recognition and change. 0:17:14.220 --> 0:17:18.450 Well, again, remember, this is back during a time when we 0:17:18.450 --> 0:17:22.560 didn't have the laws and the protections that we have 0:17:22.560 --> 0:17:29.369 now, and having the right to an education, housing, transportation, 0:17:29.730 --> 0:17:35.399 the right to go into a restaurant, ramps, things that 0:17:35.940 --> 0:17:38.520 we all take for granted now. We didn't have it 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:45.869 back then. And I was outspoken in the need for 0:17:46.290 --> 0:17:50.730 access and the quality and maybe in many ways. I 0:17:50.730 --> 0:17:53.429 look back to my journey and I was blessed to 0:17:53.430 --> 0:17:59.760 have been able- bodied prior to this, and then people 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:03.990 seeing the change, and fortunately having a family that was 0:18:03.990 --> 0:18:12.240 extraordinarily supportive of me. And so I was active in 503, 0:18:12.270 --> 0:18:17.459 504. Allegedly, maybe I might have chained myself to the 0:18:17.460 --> 0:18:23.310 White House fence, a number of my colleagues and power 0:18:23.310 --> 0:18:25.470 chairs. And the police didn't know what to do. But 0:18:25.470 --> 0:18:32.639 fighting for the rights that we should have. And I 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:36.929 did get a call after... He was president- elect at 0:18:36.930 --> 0:18:42.780 that point, and the White House called and said, " President- 0:18:42.780 --> 0:18:45.449 elect Bush would like to speak with you on," whatever day, " 0:18:45.960 --> 0:18:52.050 Tuesday, at 11:00." And I said, "He does? Hmm." So at the appointed hour, 0:18:52.050 --> 0:18:53.970 I get a call from the White House saying, hold 0:18:53.970 --> 0:18:57.450 for President- elect George Bush, and you would stand up, 0:18:57.450 --> 0:19:01.500 if you could. The president's calling me. And I said, " Hello, sir." And 0:19:01.500 --> 0:19:05.700 he said, " McFadden," he said, " I'd like to have you come 0:19:05.700 --> 0:19:08.760 work for me." And I had never thought about this. And I said, " 0:19:09.450 --> 0:19:13.320 You do?" And I said, " Sir, why?" Honest to goodness, 0:19:13.320 --> 0:19:15.030 he said, " Because you're a pain in the ass, and 0:19:15.030 --> 0:19:17.850 I'd rather have you on my side than fighting against me." 0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:19.949 Fantastic. 0:19:19.980 --> 0:19:25.590 So I was offered the position as a commissioner of 0:19:25.590 --> 0:19:29.970 the United States for disabilities. I was the highest ranking 0:19:29.970 --> 0:19:32.609 female with a disability in the government at the time. 0:19:33.210 --> 0:19:39.300 George Kemp, I mean, John Kemp was the highest ranking 0:19:39.300 --> 0:19:42.840 male with a disability. He was commissioner of the EEOC. And 0:19:43.020 --> 0:19:45.119 nowadays, you wouldn't know that. If you said who's the 0:19:45.119 --> 0:19:48.899 highest ranking person with a disability, you wouldn't know. But 0:19:48.900 --> 0:19:51.869 this position was great. I reported to a cabinet level 0:19:51.869 --> 0:19:57.210 secretary, Secretary Sullivan in HHS, and President Bush said, " Look," 0:19:58.470 --> 0:20:01.740 he said, " these are my parameters." And the parameters were 0:20:01.740 --> 0:20:04.439 very large parameters. He said, " You can do whatever you 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:08.760 want within those parameters." And it was a great time 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:17.310 because the position commanded not only enormous signature authority. I 0:20:17.310 --> 0:20:19.740 think it was $ 5 billion signature authority. And you learn 0:20:19.980 --> 0:20:23.070 very quickly to write two grants just under that. But 0:20:23.940 --> 0:20:27.689 the authority to what laws do we want? Where do 0:20:27.690 --> 0:20:31.859 we want to go? And I figured in this position, 0:20:32.100 --> 0:20:39.060 we need to think large scale, not the minor details. 0:20:39.060 --> 0:20:42.090 If we could have a law, and we, in the disability 0:20:42.090 --> 0:20:45.450 community, have been fighting for a long time about this 0:20:45.450 --> 0:20:50.700 equality. And what does that mean? And this was during 0:20:51.060 --> 0:20:52.950 the time we were fighting for the passage of the 0:20:52.950 --> 0:20:59.850 Americans with Disabilities Act, which, again, remember when I said people 0:20:59.850 --> 0:21:05.070 with disabilities belong to both parties, Democrats, Republican, all groups. 0:21:05.460 --> 0:21:07.530 And what we were trying to say is, this is 0:21:07.530 --> 0:21:13.140 not a partisan issue. It's an issue of equality and 0:21:13.200 --> 0:21:18.869 access for all people. And yet there's always fights. It 0:21:18.869 --> 0:21:22.920 took a lot of time and pulling together the community, 0:21:23.400 --> 0:21:27.000 because we wanted the community to be everyone. And that 0:21:27.000 --> 0:21:30.060 means people who are blind, people who are deaf, people who are in 0:21:30.060 --> 0:21:34.619 wheelchairs, people who have cognitive issues. And every group had 0:21:34.619 --> 0:21:38.909 their own biases, if you were their own things we 0:21:38.910 --> 0:21:42.750 were looking for. And I remember Senator Harkin came into 0:21:42.750 --> 0:21:45.510 a room, we were all in there. It was late 0:21:45.510 --> 0:21:48.359 at night and he said, " I'm closing the door." And 0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:52.080 he said, " You all work your agreements out before you 0:21:52.080 --> 0:21:55.560 leave this room, because when we come out, we need 0:21:55.560 --> 0:21:59.070 to speak in one voice." And it was a hard exercise. A successful one, but a hard exercise. 0:22:02.070 --> 0:22:03.000 Incredibly successful. 0:22:03.000 --> 0:22:03.002 (inaudible) - 0:22:03.390 --> 0:22:08.940 Yeah, an incredible experience, a huge success. I mean, before 0:22:08.940 --> 0:22:11.850 we start talking about your journey with your daughters, I 0:22:11.850 --> 0:22:17.490 mean, the Americans with Disabilities Act changed the nation in 0:22:17.490 --> 0:22:22.320 so many ways. All the things that we now take 0:22:22.320 --> 0:22:27.180 for granted in terms of the requirement for public facilities 0:22:27.180 --> 0:22:32.220 and accommodations to be accessible, ramps and elevators in places 0:22:32.550 --> 0:22:37.619 and all other forms of required accessibility for people with 0:22:37.619 --> 0:22:42.780 disabilities. Now, people of my daughter's generation, that's baked into the 0:22:42.780 --> 0:22:46.140 cake for them. That's what they expect to see anywhere 0:22:46.140 --> 0:22:49.740 they go, whether it's in an educational setting or a 0:22:49.740 --> 0:22:53.340 work setting or a sports setting, as we have here at 0:22:53.460 --> 0:22:58.050 New York Roadrunners with our accessibility work that we do 0:22:58.050 --> 0:23:01.410 from just having a pro wheelchair division to all kinds 0:23:01.410 --> 0:23:04.200 of other things we do for athletes. Can you talk 0:23:04.200 --> 0:23:09.119 about just that process of getting that bill passed, and 0:23:09.119 --> 0:23:13.230 what that meant to achieve something that really has been 0:23:13.230 --> 0:23:17.820 so seminal in American life in every phase and every 0:23:17.820 --> 0:23:18.510 aspect of it? 0:23:19.350 --> 0:23:23.490 Sure. There were people saying, why should we make stores 0:23:23.490 --> 0:23:27.270 accessible? I never see anybody in a wheelchair in stores. 0:23:27.270 --> 0:23:29.430 And of course, there was always people in wheelchairs back then. 0:23:31.080 --> 0:23:33.359 You can't see people in wheelchairs if you can't get 0:23:33.359 --> 0:23:37.350 there. And if you've noticed, I think of ramps. I'm 0:23:37.350 --> 0:23:41.520 sorry, the curb cuts. When curb cuts were in, people 0:23:41.520 --> 0:23:46.080 really balked about them. I see people pushing baby strollers 0:23:46.080 --> 0:23:48.359 down them. I see people on skateboards. They use it. 0:23:49.440 --> 0:23:55.109 Things that are convenient for all of us. In stores, 0:23:56.190 --> 0:23:59.369 people with disabilities are consumers. In fact, I would venture 0:23:59.369 --> 0:24:01.950 to say we probably are one of the largest consumers. 0:24:02.850 --> 0:24:07.470 We have access to consumable money that we want to 0:24:07.470 --> 0:24:13.680 spend. So it changed that in housing, but people hadn't 0:24:13.680 --> 0:24:18.419 thought about it. And it was, if you will, a 0:24:18.420 --> 0:24:23.369 paradigm shift, a shift in this thinking for people that 0:24:23.460 --> 0:24:26.520 were not here to take care of the... And may I 0:24:26.520 --> 0:24:32.760 use the bad language? But the crippled, lame and infirm. 0:24:33.180 --> 0:24:35.730 That's what we were called. It was the cripples, the 0:24:35.730 --> 0:24:39.869 lame, the infirm. And the word handicap actually comes from 0:24:39.869 --> 0:24:43.410 cap and hand begging. That's where it comes from. And 0:24:43.410 --> 0:24:46.859 so from a long time ago, the handicapped, the poor, 0:24:46.859 --> 0:24:50.040 the crippled, lame and infirm to that paradigm shift of 0:24:50.040 --> 0:24:55.320 saying, no, no, no, no, people with disabilities are not 0:24:55.350 --> 0:24:58.080 only an integral part of society, but they're consumers. They're 0:24:58.080 --> 0:25:01.560 executives. There's this... And it's taken a time on that. 0:25:02.790 --> 0:25:05.730 And it was hard. It was a hard fight, and 0:25:05.730 --> 0:25:08.550 we gave up on some things. We had to compromise. 0:25:09.090 --> 0:25:13.470 But I'd venture to say that as... In fact, I 0:25:13.470 --> 0:25:17.970 talked to a major builder and he said, McFadden, you're 0:25:17.970 --> 0:25:19.980 driving me crazy. I got to do all these things 0:25:20.460 --> 0:25:25.619 for all of you, you people. I said, like what? Well, the 0:25:25.619 --> 0:25:28.949 elevator now, it has buttons that says floor 3, floor 0:25:28.950 --> 0:25:33.390