ADA 34th Year Anniversary
July 26, 2024, marks the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The ADA is a civil rights law that affirms and protects the rights of people with disabilities to participate in public life. It forbids discrimination on the basis of disability in the areas of employment, government services, public accommodations, access to transportation, and communications. Under the ADA, employers are also required to make reasonable accommodations for applicants or employees with a disability.
In honor of its 34th birthday, here’s how we got this landmark law, which continues to be relevant today.
History of the ADA
- 1964: The Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin
- 1973: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in federally funded programs
- 1977: Hundreds of disability advocates staged sit-ins in federal buildings around the U.S. to protest the failure to enforce Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
- 1988: The Fair Housing Act is expanded to prohibit discrimination in housing based on disability
- 1990: The ADA is signed into law by President George H.W. Bush
- 2008: The ADA is amended to broaden the definition of a disability
The ADA was passed more than three decades ago, but its history goes back much further than that. While smaller grassroots efforts had been going on for years, by the 1960s, the civil rights movement had brought national attention to barriers in employment, public transportation, and housing. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbid discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, but it left out individuals with disabilities.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 made some headway when it prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability in federally funded programs, but disability advocates called for additional protections to ensure equal opportunities in other areas of public life.
With the support of individual activists and groups like The Arc, the ADA was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. The ADA was later amended in 2008 to protect a broader range of individuals with disabilities. Today, the results of the ADA can be seen in nearly every public space, from curb cuts in sidewalks, to ramps and elevators in buildings and closed captions on TV.
ID: Blue background flyer with four different colors of hands representing diversity. The hands lay on red heart shape on each corner around the white circle. At center, white circle background with the logo with red and blue text: “ADA 34” and “1990 – 2024” surrounded by mini red stars in a circle. On the next line, dark blue and red text: “Americans with Disabilities Act. Celebrate the ADA! July 26, 2024.” On next line, “34 years ago on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. This historic civil rights law protects the rights of people with disabilities.” At bottom, adaanniversary.org.
Resources
- ADA Anniversary
- ADA by US Department of Justice and Civil Rights
Deaf Queer Owned Businesses
APA Deaf Artists & History
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