20th anniversary of landmark Americans with Disabilities Act reveals progress and much yet to be done

WASHINGTON – Twenty years after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), physical and attitudinal barriers still exist for people with disabilities.

Passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law by the first President Bush July 26, 1990, the ADA was intended to ensure that individuals with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as every other American. Considered the fundamental civil rights bill for those with disabilities, the ADA promised to open new frontiers in education, employment, transportation and other aspects of daily life.

“While great progress has been made since passage of the ADA, bad court decisions, infrastructure that is still out of compliance and businesses that continue to discriminate based on outdated stereotypes, mean we still have a long way to go,” said NDRN Executive Director Curt Decker. “Every day we get requests for assistance because somewhere, someone is refusing to comply with the ADA’s mandate.”

The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and the Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities. Collectively, the Network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.