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Press Releases
New Legislation Marks Renewed Hope in Promises of ADA (7/26/2007)
Contact: Elizabeth Reitz
(202) 973-7114
Washington, DC, July 26, 2007 - On this day in 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the world’s first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities. The ADA was intended to ensure that every American could live, work, and participate in our society free from discrimination.
Significant improvements under the ADA have allowed more people with disabilities to live life without limits, and to have access to thousands of places and opportunities that people with disabilities were never before able to enjoy. Yet seventeen years later, the full promise of the law has not been fulfilled, because a number of Supreme Court and other court decisions over the past decade have narrowly interpreted the definition of “disability” under the ADA, making it more difficult for people to defend themselves against discrimination in the workplace.
It is only fitting, therefore, that today, on the anniversary of the enactment of the ADA, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD) and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), among others, will unveil the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, a bipartisan bill that will amend the ADA to shift the focus to whether a person has experienced discrimination "on the basis of disability," rather than requiring individuals with disabilities to "prove" their disability by demonstrating that they are substantially limited in some major life activity.
Congressional champions and disability advocates everywhere have been working vigorously to restore the original intent of the ADA, which offered broad protections for people with disabilities. The passage of this vital piece of legislation would be a major victory in the fight for equal rights for people with disabilities.
"The ADA Restoration Act of 2007 is fundamental to realizing the resilient hope of the Americans with Disabilities Act: that all Americans can live without limits, fully included in the American dream, and free from discrimination," said Stephen Bennett, President & CEO, United Cerebral Palsy.
About United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy is one of the nation’s leading organizations serving and advocating for the more than 54 million Americans with disabilities. Most UCP consumers are people with disabilities other than cerebral palsy. Through its nationwide network, United Cerebral Palsy offers services to individuals, families and communities such as job training and placement, physical therapy, individual and family support, early intervention, social and recreation programs, community living, state and local referrals, and instruction on how to use technology to perform everyday tasks. For more information, visit www.ucp.org or call (800) 872-5827.