The ADA: past, present, and future
by Patricia
Last Thursday I attended the National Council on Disability (NCD) press conference marking the 17th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). As mentioned in a previous post, two important reports were released by the NCD examining the impact and scope of the ADA since its passage.
More information on these two reports can be found on the NCD Web site:
- The Impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Assessing the Progress Toward Achieving the Goals of the ADA
- Implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Challenges, Best Practices, and New Opportunities for Success
Speakers included stakeholders from the business world, legal professionals, government entities, educational institutions, and individuals with disabilities. They discussed how the ADA has affected their lives and the challenges that still lay ahead. A central theme that arose from the press conference is that while we have made some progress in the four major goals of the ADA (equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency); there are still significant strides to be made, especially in the areas of employment, transportation, health care, and education.
With the introduction of the ADA Restoration Act, a strong feeling of hope and optimism exists that the challenges facing Americans with disabilities will be met and addressed. The ADA Restoration Act will help individuals with disabilities focus on the discrimination they have experienced, rather than having to prove that they are “disabled enough” to fall into the intended scope of the ADA.
I encourage you to contact lawmakers and encourage them to cosponsor the ADA Restoration Act, thus enabling people with disabilities to be judged fairly on their own merits.