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The Americans with Disabilities Act was a major milestone for people with disabilities when it passed in July 1990. The act codified equal rights, opportunity and protections for people with disabilities. The ADA was approved after a decade of rigorous protest and activism. In 1990, WMUR reporter Susan Ross interviewed a wheelchair user for his reaction to the ADA passing. He noted, “If I want to take that Greyhound bus from Manchester and go out to Seattle, I can do that because I can get on the bus.”Another interviewee was excited about his community becoming more visible, alongside receiving legal civil rights.Disability Pride Month is celebrated in July to commemorate the passing of the ADA. Learn more about unique accommodations, disability activists and protests in archival videos below.Deaf audience protests at TV station for captionsIn 1982, deaf protestors marched at their local CBS affiliate. ����vlog reporter Elmo Hawkins covered the protest, as well as interviewed a deaf woman about caption options for deaf TV audiences. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 required TV stations to use closed captions.Disability advocates rally after legal protections threatened in 1982Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was one of the first legal protections people with disabilities received. These civil rights ensured that organizations receiving federal money could not discriminate on the basis of disability. When this was threatened, advocates with disabilities spoke out in 1982.Disability rights activist Beverly Chapman wins award for creating changeBeverly Chapman was a disability rights activist who helped pass accommodations on a statewide level before the ADA. She wrote about disability in a weekly syndicated column, and opened a nonprofit to help community members with disabilities. Chapman died in 1993, only two years after the ADA was signed.Farmer with disability found confidence, accommodations to follow dreamAfter coming home from Vietnam in a wheelchair, veteran Dennis Theesfield pursued his lifelong dream of becoming a farmer. Theesfield spoke to a conference about how his disability did not affect his passion. Reporter Michelle Parker showcased adaptive farm technology shown at the conference.Hiking trail created for wheelchair users in 2010Outdoor activities can be inaccessible to people with disabilities. In 2010, work began on a hiking trail made for wheelchair users. The pathways, which total around four miles, were made wide and smooth enough for wheelchairs to pass through.