Discrimination

Discrimination

The Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. Barriers to employment, transportation, public accommodations, public services, and telecommunications have imposed staggering economic and social costs on American society.  The ADA guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, State and local government services, and telecommunications.

Cry Wolf Quotes

Small firms who have hired persons with disabilities have found in most cases that the extra effort makes good economic sense. I have no doubt that, faced with the demands of the marketplace, many other small firms will soon learn the same lesson.

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Sally Douglas, Assistant Director of Governmental Relations for Research Policy for the National Federation of Independent Business. The Congressional Digest. December, 1989.

Since access would now be a civil right, moreover, the cost would not be relevant--even if that means eliminating bus service or closing down businesses that cannot afford either compliance or the legal expenses of defending themselves in court. In addition, the bill would also, for the first time, grant homosexuals the right to sue over discrimination.

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National Review.

Rather than merely prohibiting discrimination against the disabled, the bill compels employers to make significant expenditures and extensive physical alterations to their facilities to accommodate an unlimited variety job applicants.

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Gordon J. Humphrey (R-NH), The New York Times.

Under the guise of civil rights for the disabled, the Senate had passed a disaster for U.S. business.

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National Review.

Evidence

Resources

Campus Progress is the youth wing of the Center for American Progress. They do work in both advocacy and journalism.

Institute for Women’s Policy Research is a prominent think tank that is largely focused on American women's issues. This covers everything from pay equity to welfare reform to domestic violence.

The National Council on Disability is a small, Senate-appointed, federal agency that advises the president and Congress on matters concerning the disabled community.

The American Association of People with Disabilities organizes and advocates for the disability community across the nation.