RALEIGH, N.C. — It's been 32 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, prohibiting discrimination against people with disabililties.

What You Need To Know

  • Barton Cutter, who has cerebral palsy, is a consultant in leadership development, working with businesses to promote diversity and inclusion 

  • Cutter operates his own business, Cutter's Edge Consulting, and is a consultant for Disability:IN North Carolina

  • He says people with disabilities can offer innovation because they have experience adapting

Barton Cutter says he was 10 when it passed. 

"The ADA has done a tremendous amount to open the door for people with disabilities," Cutter said. 

He is a consultant for his own business, Cutter's Edge Consulting, and for Disability:IN North Carolina. He says he works with businesses to promote diversity and inclusion.

Cutter has cerebral palsy, which limits his ability to move, and maintain balance and posture. His speech pattern is slow and sometimes difficult to understand. He says when he first entered the job market after college, employers would often hang up on him.

"And when I finally got in front of people, a lot of people didn't have the patience to listen, never mind open the door," Cutter said.

Now, as a consultant working in leadership development, employers have to listen to him. He says listening is a skill that enhances engagement and performance. 

"So it turns out that my biggest barrier became my biggest asset," Cutter said.

He says that despite passage of the ADA, there is still work to do.

"While a lot of people's perspectives have shifted, it's still easy to see the perceived disability rather than the person's talents," Cutter said.

He says more value should be put on the innovation people with disabilities can offer, since the community has had to uproot itself and adapt for so long.