The signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): July 26, 1990 – do you remember where you were? Remember the enthusiasm and the sense of empowerment?

Nearly 25 years later, July 26th was about more than celebration and the power of collaboration. It was about you, your organization, your agency, your financial institution, your corporation, your community, your state and our nation.

However, 25 years after ADA, persistent barriers to economic self-sufficiency and financial inclusion for people with disabilities remain.

Here, at National Disability Institute, we are working hard with our partners across the country, including the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD), to create a world where all people with disabilities have the same opportunity to achieve financial stability and security as those without disabilities. Equal opportunity must include options to build the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed financial decisions, access to financial education and coaching, affordable and accessible financial services and products, inclusion in career pathways, and the ability to save, build assets and be a vital part of the economic mainstream.

In that spirit, July 26th - and by extension - the entire month of July was about connecting nonprofit and financial institution leaders, policy makers, employers, self-advocates and family members to help design an action-oriented post-ADA@25 agenda.

I invite YOU to join NCCDD and NDI, along with the numerous like-minded individuals and organizations, to fulfill the promise of the ADA and to bring people with disabilities more fully into the financial mainstream and advance their "economic self-sufficiency."

Join with us in the conversation and connect the threads of possibilities, the declarations of intentions and the promises of commitment. ADA set the framework of civil rights and full citizenship. Only together can we continue to design the curb cuts necessary to create more inclusive communities. Together, we can build on that framework to ensure the inclusion of all people with disabilities in our communities.

What will you do to make it happen? For starters you can 'PLEDGE ON! to the ADA,' and become a part of the nationwide celebration and recommitment to the ADA.

Michael Morris, J.D. is the Founder and Executive Director of National Disability Institute. Morris is a recognized national leader on disability public policy regarding workforce and community development, tax and social and economic security. As the first Kennedy Foundation Public Policy Fellow, and as a former legal counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy, and Executive Director of United Cerebral Palsy Associations, Morris is adept at complex program design and model development with engagement of public and private sector agencies/organizations to transform thinking and behavior concerning financial empowerment for economically vulnerable populations. Morris received his undergraduate degree in political science with honors from Case Western Reserve University and his law degree from Emory University School of Law.

The National Disability Institute manages Upward to Financial Stability, an initiative funded by the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities.