1. It's the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a disabled woman, it's easy to focus on how far we have to go. Thirty years later, Americans with disabilities can't fully access/take part in our communities. Most are trapped in a systemic cycle of poverty.

2. See, the ADA was always meant to be a starting place. It's the bare minimum the US and its people must legally do. Yet the US still hasn't achieved basic compliance decades later, let alone built on the ADA with legislation and policies that EMPOWER and enable my community.

3. The inequality and ableism is at EVERY level, from access to things like education, employment, transportation, to access to voting (a basic right).

My community represents 1/4 of the US population and we're intersectional. And yet, we're rarely seen in books or movies.

4. One rarely sees disability even raised in political conversations except for this time of year, or on topics like healthcare or when a politician makes an inappropriate reference to a disabled person or disability. Disability rights and allyship are much, much more than that.

5. So what do I need from you? First, I need you to listen to disabled people and learn about these issues. Follow disabled people on social media, listen to their stories, read books on the issues, do your research.

6. Second, I need you to help me hold elected officials and people running for office accountable. When you're perusing politicians' websites, search for "disability" like I do and check out how often it comes up outside of healthcare, and then ask them to do more.

7. Third, make change where you are. At your work, are your hiring and accommodations practices inclusive? If you're in a position to hire, are you seeking diverse talent? Are you hiring disabled experts for non-disability work (e.g. writers to write about more than disability)?

8. Push for access in your communities. I get told "well, the building is old" a lot as an excuse for why I'm barred from entering. I once used a lift attached to a spiral staircase to get into a bar in the basement of a pre-war building in Krakow - the US needs to suck it up.

9. Every day, disability rights advocates are putting themselves on the line, like they did to get the ADA. That famous moment when John McCain voted against repealing the ACA came after disabled protestors staged sit-ins and protests. We need our allies in the fight, too.