ADA Sign Depot Blog

A federal judge in North Carolina approved a settlement on Tuesday that prohibits the state government from banning transgender people from using bathrooms in state buildings that match their gender identity, ending a yearslong legal battle that prompted a divisive cultural debate.

“The mark of H.B. 2 remains,” said Chase Strangio, a staff attorney with the A.C.L.U.’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and H.I.V. Project, which is involved in the case. “It’s not a full win. But it’s still a huge win for a community that has faced so much discrimination.”

The issue is as complicated as people are. As with all forms of discrimination, there’s a world between what the law says and how we relate to one another that’s murky and difficult to navigate, even for legal professionals, disability-rights advocates and those long-practiced in explaining themselves to a world not built for them. But there are ways to make it easier, and difficult truths everyone should know.

Albert Rizzi gave up on trying to manage his nest egg because as a blind person, he encountered digital barriers constantly. Many of the websites, mobile apps, PDFs and software programs he needed were not accessible. Sometimes, they just didn’t work.

For those who are blind or have compromised vision, hearing is fine but touching is even better. Words merely explain. But touch can get at the soul of a thing. And what can touch reveal about a Broadway play?

“There was not acceptance,” she told Time, “and in some instances there was anger that petite moi, little me, had indeed shattered the glass ceiling, had a scientific breakthrough.”