ADA Turns 25

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law 25 years ago, on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. According to the information on the ADA website

Twenty-five years ago, through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), our nation committed itself to eliminating discrimination against people with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division  is proud to play a critical role in enforcing the ADA, working towards a future  in which all the doors are open to equality of opportunity, full participation,  independent living, integration and economic self-sufficiency for persons with  disabilities. In honor of the 25th anniversary of the ADA, each month the  Department of Justice will spotlight efforts that are opening gateways to full  participation and opportunity for people with disabilities.

The efforts that are spotlighted can be accessed here.  Concomitant with the anniversary, the Social Security Administration’s July 27, 2015 blog, Supporting the Americans with Disabilities Act, focused on the ADA’s anniversary. 

There were a number of articles highlighting the ADA’s anniversary.  For example, the New York Times  ran a Room for Debate on the ADA, The Americans With Disabilities Act, 25 Years Later.  NPR did a story on the ADA’s influence on other countries, How A Law To Protect Disabled Americans Became Imitated Around The World and the Washington Post ran an article by Professor Robert L. Burgdorf Jr., Why I Wrote the Americans with Disabilities Act.  President Obama spoke about the anniversary of the ADA and the White House website has a page devoted to issues facing Americans with disabilities. 

If you cover the ADA in your classes, there are many more useful articles and stories released as a result of the  ADA’s 25th anniversary.