Yay for the ADA

By: GDB graduate Deanna Lewis

Being blind can be a drag
But, I just have to brag
Thanks to the ADA
I am able to go on my way
If I head to the museum
My guide dog is free to come
On a college campus
While riding in a city bus
Whether out to eat
Or on a spa retreat
Riding in a taxi cab
Or in a hospital lab
At any place of retail
To walking on a nature trail
While in a shopping mall
Or at a stadium watching football
Inside my local pharmacy
Or at the nearby library
While out to see a movie
I’m free to have my guide dog with me
In a swanky resort
And waiting in an airport
Daily trips to the gym
And at the city pool for a swim
Anywhere the public can be
So can my guide dog and me
At work, I can get the software I need
To do my job well indeed
The ADA gives me these rights
So that I can avoid many fights
So the most important thing I can say is
Yay for the ADA!

Deana's official GDB graduation photo smiling while posing with her guide dog Mambo (yellow Lab in harness).
Deanna with guide dog Mambo

Deanna submitted this poem in a local (Cincinnati, OH) writing contest in honor of the 25th anniversary of the ADA. The poem won FIRST PLACE, and she recently had the honor of reading it at a public celebration in downtown Cincinnati. Congratulations, Deanna!