ADA Policy Brief Series #1: Righting the Americans with Disabilities Act

October 16, 2002

SCOPE AND PURPOSE:

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) has been the most significant civil rights advancement for people with disabilities to date. The ADA was the Nation’s commitment that its sorrowful legacy of oppression, segregation and inequality in dealing with disability would be overturned by the ADA’s “clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities” in which sweeping protections were provided in employment, public services, public accommodation and services operated by private entities, transportation and telecommunications. The ADA has been the impetus for a revolution in the inclusion, integration and empowerment of Americans with disabilities.

Regrettably, the Supreme Court of the United States has seriously undermined the ADA’s principles and objectives in a string of decisions, effectuating a harmful rollback of the civil rights of people with disabilities.

To address detrimental rulings of the Supreme Court, NCD is issuing a series of policy brief documents discussing specific topics raised by the Court’s decisions.