At 20th anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act, further laws are being proposed

[July 26, 2010]  WASHINGTON -- Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, held a series of events this weekend and will again today (Monday) to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act -- landmark legislation that has been referred to as the "Emancipation Proclamation for people with disabilities." The ADA is a signature achievement for Harkin, who authored the bill and was its chief sponsor in the Senate.

"Before the ADA, life was very different for folks in Iowa and across the country with disabilities, and discrimination was both commonplace and accepted," Harkin said. "On this 20th anniversary of the ADA, we recognize that people with disabilities -- like all people -- have unique abilities, talents and aptitudes. And America is better, fairer and richer when we make full use of those gifts."

In hearings on the legislation 20 years ago, disabled individuals related stories of having to crawl on their hands and knees to go up a flight of stairs, of not being able to ride on a bus because there wasn’t a lift, and not being able to cross the street in a wheelchair because there were no curb cuts. The ADA literally transformed the American landscape by installing ramps, lifts, curb cuts, widening doorways, installing closed captioning and giving millions of Americans the ability to work and participate in their communities.

In honor of the anniversary, the Justice Department announced that it will publish four new Americans with Disabilities Act proposals addressing the accessibility of websites, the provision of captioning and video description in movies shown in theaters, accessible equipment and furniture, and the ability of 911 centers to take text and video calls from individuals with disabilities. The proposals are in the form of advance notices of proposed rule-making, or ANPRMs, which provide information on these ADA issues and ask questions seeking comments and information from the public. The four notices will be published in the Federal Register today.

"We are working hard to ensure that the ADA keeps up with technological advances that were unimaginable 20 years ago," said Attorney General Holder. "Just as these quantum leaps can help all of us, they can also set us back -- if regulations are not updated or compliance codes become too confusing to implement. To avoid this, the department will soon publish four advanced notices of proposed rule-making regarding accessibility requirements for websites, movies, equipment and furniture, and 911 call-taking technologies."

[U.S. Department of Justice; Sen. Tom Harkin]