Employment, autism and the ADA Restoration Act
by Beth
All the blog comments we’re receiving about health coverage and employment for people with autism prompts me to write again about the importance of restoring the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A National Council on Disability (NCD) report called “Righting the ADA” shows that when it comes to employment discrimination against people with disabilities, the majority of the Supreme Court’s rulings favor business owners.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is all about eliminating discrimination against individuals with disabilities. But as NCD Chairperson John R. Vaughn says, “While the provisions of the ADA addressing architectural, transportation, and communication accessibility have been implemented with notable success, the employment provisions of the ADA essentially have been rewritten by the Supreme Court.”
In other words, the ADA is not providing the opportunities and protections the people who helped create and pass it back in 1990 had in mind.
Patricia Wright, the National Director of Autism Services at Easter Seals, posted a blog about the NCD’s press conference marking the 17th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Two reports released at the press conference, “Implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Challenges, Best Practices, and New Opportunities for Success,” and “The Impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Assessing the Progress Toward Achieving the Goals of the ADA” confirm that legislation is urgently needed to restore the ADA.
ADA restoration bills were introduced in the House (H.R. 3195) and the Senate (S.1881) on July 26, 2007.
Katy Beh Neas, Senior Director, Federal and State Government Relations for Easter Seals, posted the “Are people with autism ‘disabled enough’ for the ADA?” blog in order to provide links to locate your local representatives and check if they are co-sponsoring the bill.
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) has an ADA Restoration blog, and one post this week includes the names of the newest co-sponsors in the House. If your representatives are not co-sponsoring the bill yet, you can visit their Web sites for contact information and urge them to support the ADA Restoration Act of 2007.
Let’s do what we can to ensure economic self-sufficiency for Americans with autism and other disabilities.