Project Director's Report
Turning up the Volume On Legislative Talk
15 Year Anniversary - Americans with Disabilities Act
Never in the history of the US have we discussed disability issues with the frequency, volume, and down-to-earth manner that we do today, fifteen years after the passage of landmark civil rights legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act. You can't meet a person or talk with a family member who doesn't have a disability story to tell. The ADA has increased communication, elevated conversations, and sparked debate. The boom of disability talk is all around us.
Before the 1960's, disability was either whispered about or kept secret entirely. Over the years, dialogue has emerged rather slowly and sometimes painfully. Just prior to the passage of the ADA, conversations expanded to a lively discussion and debate -- culminating with the ADA. The ADA resoundingly assured people, legally speaking, a place in life, acceptance by others, a chance at a living, and equal opportunities. Fifteen years later, conversations once shaped by family and medical personnel are now shaped by peers and the law. Discussions now are attending to the authority of recognized civil rights. The law has helped to move conversations beyond the focus on the individual to an environmental and social consciousness. While commemorating the influence this law has had in challenging attitudes and behaviors, we look toward the future capacity of the law to generate new legal and social talk.
The legislative dialogue continues in this celebratory issue of Access New England with articles about new "legal conversations" of far reaching magnitude. The US Supreme Court will decide if states and counties can be sued for not accommodating disabled prisoners, setting up another legal showdown over the power of Congress to tell states what to do. Most recently, cruise ships have been in the news; the Supreme Court ruled that foreign cruise lines sailing in US waters must provide better access for passengers using wheelchairs (see: Supreme Court Decides One Case, Agrees to Hear Another). In another article, the National Council on Disability exposes the courts' focus on whether or not a plaintiff has a disability, to the exclusion of whether the plaintiff has been discriminated against (see Focusing on Disability, Not Discrimination).
In the midst of all this talk, let's not forget to act! There are many 15-year anniversary celebrations to participate in; see News from around the Region for upcoming activities.
Happy Anniversary!
Oce
