Lex Frieden was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA) Disability Section.
Frieden is widely recognized as one of the chief architects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is currently the Director of the Independent Living Research Utilization at TIRR Memorial Hermann. His own experience with a spinal cord injury and the barriers he encountered helped fuel a lifelong commitment to changing how society views and supports people with disabilities.
Without Lex Frieden, the world might look dramatically different for millions of people with disabilities. There might be no ramps leading into public buildings, no guaranteed accessible public transportation, fewer employment protections and far fewer opportunities for people with disabilities to live independently.
A Houston trailblazer, Frieden has spent decades advocating for accessibility, making it a civil right, not a privilege.
As his legacy was celebrated, Frieden emphasized that the work isn’t finished and the fight for access and inclusion must continue.
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