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By Lance Robertson, ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary
for Aging
Thirty years ago today, President George H.W. Bush signed into
law a historic piece of civil rights legislation: the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
This sweeping law prohibits discrimination by local and state
governments, provides standards for privately owned businesses and
commercial facilities, protects against discrimination in the workplace,
and ensures equal access to healthcare, social services, transportation,
and telecommunications. By enshrining these protections into law, the ADA
affirms the inherent dignity of all Americans--regardless of ability.
With the access guaranteed by the ADA, millions of children
with disabilities have grown up with more opportunities and higher
expectations, and many more Americans have grown older with more resources
and opportunities to live independently, participate in their communities
and contribute in countless ways. Our communities, our economy, and our
nation are stronger as a result.
In addition, Americans without disabilities have benefited from
the impact of the ADA and the disability rights movement more directly. If
you’ve ever relied on automatic door openers to get into a building when
your hands are full, or have smoothly wheeled your toddler’s stroller up a
ramp rather than struggling to get it up steps, you can thank disability
advocates.
With a national expectation of accessibility and full
participation clearly established by the ADA, the experiences of people
with disabilities have reshaped out country, spurring more inclusive design
and impressive technological advances. And that helps all of us. Just ask
anyone who turns on captions to watch a TV show in a noisy room, or
who has had a conversation with Siri, Alexa, or Cortana lately.
At ACL, we are thrilled to join the nation in celebrating
this important milestone. We've partnered with HHS' Office for
Civil Rights on a new website
that tells the story of how the ADA came to be, showcases some of the
progress we have made as a country toward achieving its promise, and
illustrates a little bit of the work being done by ACL and OCR, as well as
other partners within HHS and across government. And on Thursday, we'll be
joined by leaders from across HHS for an event celebrating 30 years of
progress and reflecting on the work that lies ahead. We'll hope
you'll join us and watch online.
As we celebrate, we also know that we have a lot of work to do
to fully realize the ADA's promise of inclusion, accessibility, and
community integration.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected
people with disabilities, underscores the importance of the ADA and other
disability rights legislation. ACL, OCR, and the disability networks have
been working to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities and to
ensure the continuation of services despite difficult circumstances. For
example:
OCR issued
guidance in March protecting people with disabilities from
unlawful discrimination and has since worked with states to resolves
complaints around issues including ventilator rationing and visitation
policies excluding personal care assistants. ACL has worked with
partners across government to ensure the unique needs of people with
disabilities are considered in the national response. For example, we have
advocated for direct services providers to be classified as healthcare workers
for the purposes of allocating personal protective equipment. The network
of ACL grantees – including Protection and Advocacy agencies, Centers for
Independent Living, state Developmental Disability Councils, and University
Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities – have worked to
deliver prepared meals and food, secure housing, provide transportation,
and they have partnered with each other to provide PPE, accessible
communications, and advocacy. They are working with people with disabilities
to support them in living safely in their communities while practicing
social distancing, and also to return to their homes following
hospitalizations. The ADA and other disability rights legislation makes all
of that possible.
Thirty years ago, as he signed the ADA, President Bush said we
must "remove the physical barriers we have created and the social
barriers that we have accepted."
We still have plenty of barriers we must remove, but there can
be no doubt that our country is a better place because of the ADA, and the
many people with disabilities whose tireless advocacy made it possible.
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