Disability Rights Under Fire

Join us for a critical conversation about the future of disability rights in America. As the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) approaches, the hard-won protections that support millions of disabled people are under threat.

From proposed rollbacks of accessibility standards to rhetoric that devalues disabled lives, the policies championed by the Trump administration and its allies make one thing clear: the rights of people with disabilities are not guaranteed — unless we fight for them.

This conversation brings together disability advocates and people with lived experience to explore:

• What the ADA has accomplished — and where it still falls short
• How current political movements are working to dismantle disability protections
• What’s at stake for disabled people and their families
• How we can organize, resist, and protect our communities

This is not just a political issue — it’s a human rights issue. Whether you live with a disability, love someone who does, or believe in justice for all, your voice matters.

Because when the rights of any of us are threatened, the responsibility belongs to all of us.

About the Speaker:

Mark Tadder serves as Associate Director and Blindness Advocacy Resource Officer by the Northern Nevada Center for Independent Living (NNCIL). In this role, he works with blind people or those with vision disabilities to give them information and resources to help them live more independent lives.

Tadder was diagnosed with a degenerative retinal disease as a child, so he knew to prepare for it. In the meantime, he accelerated his activities to include rock climbing, skiing and filmmaking. After graduating from high school, he started college, but then decided to spend a year backpacking throughout Australia and other south Pacific countries instead.

He eventually earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University, and then went to work for Enterprise Rent-A-Car where he became an expert in airport operations. During that time, he also married his wife, Stephanie and welcomed daughter Amber to the family.

As his vision was progressively growing worse, he started an in-home web consulting company and became primary caregiver to their new son, Ryan. Tadder lost his vision completely in 2014.

In researching solutions for himself, he received Mobility, Braille and Computer screen reader training from the State of Nevada’s Rehabilitation Division. And after attending his first National Federation for the Blind convention in 2015, he fully realized the value of the organization and its rejection of society’s often low expectations for the blind, so he joined the Nevada chapter. He is currently serving as the president of the Northern Nevada chapter and recently started his first term as the Nevada Affiliate Vice-President in 2018. He also led the creation of the Sierra Nevada Transportation Coalition to research and create transportation programs for people with disabilities, seniors and people living in poverty in Northern Nevada.