But that’s not all that was different about Houston. For the first time, we interviewed people whose lives have been transformed by relatively recent legislation that offers them a chance at achieving the same dream all Americans have—a good life.

People don’t normally associate disabled persons with the struggle for civil rights, yet the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted in 1990, has meant the difference between a life of limited opportunity and a life where anything is possible. ADA provides for increased accessibility and reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. Some of the people we spoke with today, like Anthony Koosis, who works as an ADA advocate, face barriers that ordinary Americans wouldn’t give a second thought.

Take accessible restrooms, or wheelchair ramps, or even city buses with chair lifts. Without these, disabled people would be virtual prisoners in their own homes. But with just a bit of help, like voice-enabled computers that let a quadriplegic be just as productive as their neighbor, or Social Security’s Ticket to Work program, which allows a disabled person to work without losing health coverage, people with disabilities can lead rich, productive, and even independent lives.

Kristen Jones, a 23-year-old quadriplegic, says that she likely wouldn’t have been accepted for a White House internship without the provisions for universal accessibility afforded by ADA. As a result of her 2000 internship, Jones was inspired to return to school and obtain a graduate degree in rehabilitation. She’ll use her skills to assist other disabled people to grasp the most from life.

We also spoke with Margaret “Peg” Nosek. The 52-year-old music professor, also quadriplegic, persuaded her university to build a ground-level classroom with accessible blackboards and other features to enable her to teach. Nosek recalls once having to be carried upstairs bodily to attend classes; now, she proclaims, “At last, I’m independent!”