July 26 is normally a time when disability groups gather and celebrate.

On that date in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act — the landmark legislation that established wide-reaching rights for disabled Americans — was signed into law.

But COVID-19 disrupted celebrations marking the anniversary in 2020. As millions of disabled and older Americans died in hospitals and nursing homes, the community took a step back from in-person organizing. This year’s anniversary is the first since the end of the COVID public health emergency in May. Most states have stopped tracking prevalence numbers, making it difficult to know the current extent of the pandemic. Federal funding for vaccination and other public health initiatives has also largely stopped.

Slowly, disability groups have started celebrating in person again. But with little to no information on the disease’s continued spread and few, if any, official guidelines on best practices, disability groups have had to develop their own.

“I think what has made planning celebrations very tricky is how, even within the disability community, there are very different perceptions of where we’re at related to COVID,” said Maria Town, president of the American Association of People with Disabilities.

The American Association of People with Disabilities will be hosting its ADA celebration Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Speakers will include Democratic lawmakers Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Reps. Debbie Dingell and Steny Hoyer. Attendees will be required to be vaccinated and boosted and to wear masks.

“I continue to wear a mask at major events. Most of our staff do as well. And yet even within the disability community, masking isn’t consistent,” Town told The 19th. She noted that masks are not accessible for everyone. For example, many deaf and hard of hearing people rely on lip reading. Facial expressions also make up an important component of sign language.

Read the full article about disability rights and COVID-19 by Sara Luterman at The 19th.