Celebrating 32 years of The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Thirty years ago, the United States established how we currently understand anti-discrimination. In 1960, access to Social Security Disability opened up for Americans under 50. Before this, insurance allotments were only available to individuals of typical retirement age. This new law aided several years of change, action, and new policies that we know today as the Americans with Disabilities Act. Just four years after that achievement, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed, in response to the increasing intensity of the ongoing civil rights movement, the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The United States Civil Rights Act is the foundation of the last three decades of Anti-discrimination advocacy and grass-roots action by thousands of Americans for the integrity of everyone.

“Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub. L. 88-352) (Title VII), as amended, as it appears in volume 42 of the United States Code, beginning at section 2000e. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 (Pub. L. 102-166) (CRA) and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-2) amend several sections of Title VII. In addition, section 102 of the CRA amends the Revised Statutes by adding a new section following section 1977 (42 U.S.C. 1981), to provide for the recovery of compensatory and punitive damages in cases of intentional violations of Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.”

In the Fall of 1974, the IDEA Act gave equal access to disabled children in educational settings. By the Spring of 1977, a woman-led coalition occupied the San Francisco, regional office for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The group held sit-ins and demanded that Section 504 of the IDEA Act be codified and made available to all children with disabilities as they learn. This action was foundational in establishing the 504 Education Plans that some of us are familiar with in New York Education Law today. Education plans are the interpretation of the law, which allows for the least restrictive environment for all students from Pre-kindergarten to Graduate School. New York State 504 Plans also cover parents of children with disabilities even if the parent does not have any diagnosis themselves. 

The history of Americans with Disabilities and other minority Americans has been built alongside each other over the years. It is a tale of intersection, perseverance, and community action that led to policy change. This history laid the groundwork for how we advocate for not only children but all vulnerable populations and the aging.

Many of our NYATEP members are committed to the vision of anti-discrimination that fuels our work every day. When workforce initiatives focus on those with the least access we build a foundation that supports everyone.

“As we see a national employment rate of 38.8% for people with disabilities, according to a Rockefeller Institute of Government December 2021 report, we join people with disabilities, their families, employers, businesses, and government stakeholders in recognizing the Americans with Disabilities Act, which seeks to assure economic self-sufficiency, equality of opportunity, independent living, and full community participation for people with disabilities,” stated Michael Seereiter, President & CEO of the NY Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation.

Read more about The Civil Rights Act & The Americans with Disabilities Act and its history in this visual Anti-discrimination timeline.

https://www.ncld.org/news/ada-30