At just fifteen years old, Jose Hernandez’s life was turned upside down when he acquired a spinal cord injury in a diving accident. After watching others advocate on his behalf during his recovery, he had a realization: “Advocacy would play a major role in my recovery and future.”
But Hernandez didn’t truly understand what advocacy meant until he was invited to United Spinal’s Roll on Capitol Hill event. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” he shared, “sitting just outside the reception on the first day of Roll on Capitol Hill, thinking to myself, here I am, a poor Puerto Rican from the Bronx, in Washington, D.C., advocating not only for myself but for countless individuals with disabilities across the country. That moment still fills me with pride and emotion. It marked the beginning of my journey into real advocacy.”
Now, Hernandez advocates on both local and federal levels for disability rights, including pushing for better enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “I’ve worked to improve access to taxicabs, curb cuts, and medical equipment, and have fought to ensure our federal elected officials uphold the ADA, just to name a few efforts,” he said.
Hernandez is committed to carrying on the legacies of disabled leaders who came before him. As he reflected, “From the tireless advocates of Judy Heumann’s era, who put their lives and health on the line during the 504 Sit-in—spending 28 days in the San Francisco office of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare—to the efforts of ADA champions like Justin Whitlock Dart Jr. and Patricia Wright, the Disability Rights Movement has been driven by passion and persistence.”
Hernandez has one key message for people with disabilities: “If you are a person with a disability reading this, your life has already been touched by the advocacy of others. If you’ve ever used a curb cut, taken a taxicab, entered a federal building without barriers, used an accessible bathroom stall, attended a public school, or graduated from a university—these were all once denied to people like us. We must continue to carry the spirit and flame of advocacy forward, passing it to the next generation to ensure we keep progressing toward full inclusion.”
Read all 35 stories of the New York-based leaders profiled in our ADA 35 edition.