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Kaaryn Sanon, 202.408.9514 x122 ◘ press@ndrn.org

Annie Acosta, 202.783.2229 x 15 ◘ acosta@thedpc.org

Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities Urges Congress to Pass ADA Restoration Act

17 th anniversary of landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

reveals progress and remaining obstacles

WASHINGTON – Today – the 17 th anniversary of the ADA – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), along with Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), introduced the ADA Restoration Act with strong support from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), a coalition of over 100 disability related organizations.

Passed with strong bipartisan support and signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in 1990, the ADA ensures equal rights for individuals with disabilities in workplaces, transportation, and other aspects of daily life.  Since the law’s enactment 17 years ago, it has resulted in substantial improvements in access to public and private facilities, communities, and transportation for people with disabilities.  However, the ADA’s promise remains unfulfilled in the area of employment. 

Courts across the country have dramatically narrowed the definition of disability in employment discrimination cases.  Employers are winning cases by arguing a person is “too disabled” to do the job but “not disabled enough” to be protected by the law.  People with disabilities must meet a confusing and nearly impossible standard of disability, often before the issue of discrimination is ever addressed.

The ADA Restoration Act of 2007 introduced today ensures the right of individuals to be judged based on performance, not their disability status.  It restores the original intent of Congress, harmonizing the ADA with other civil rights laws and requiring the courts to interpret the law fairly. 

“This legislation will finally provide a level playing field in the workplace for people with disabilities,” said CCD Vice-chairperson Donna Meltzer. “We urge Congress to quickly pass this bill to restore the rights of all Americans to be free from unfair discrimination.”

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The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities is a coalition of approximately 100 national disability organizations working together to advocate for national public policy that ensures the self determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society