I am sure that most abled bodied people would say that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has done wonderful things for people with disabilities. However, as a person with a disability, I am not so sure that the ADA had been all good for people with disabilities.
It is great that there are curb cuts almost everywhere we go. It is wonderful that all buildings built or remodeled since 1990 are assessable. The ADA has also opened up higher education for people with disabilities. Many colleges and Universities now make accommodations for people with disabilities to get the education that they need to obtain a good paying job. I also think that the passing of the ADA has helped some in making the public aware of some of the issues of that people with disabilities face. People are at least aware that there is a need for a law to ensure the equality of people with disabilities.
However, the ADA has not gone far enough. For one, some employers see it as just another law that allows the government to interfere in their hiring process. This makes them resent people with disabilities, and reduces the chance that they are going to hire a person with a disability. Thus, a law that was put into place to help people with disabilities gain employment has actually hurt people with disabilities in the area of employment. Another bad thing that employers do not like is that the law ties their hands. They do not know that questions that can and cannot ask people with disabilities.
The ADA actually has lots of loopholes for employers to discriminate against people with disabilities For example, it is up to the employer to decide whether or not a person can do a job safely. However, an employer is not allowed to ask people with disabilities about their disability. So, the employer has to guess, which no doubt leads to discrimination. This type of discrimination can be and is very hard to prove. I could probably write all night about the loopholes in the ADA in the area of employment, but it just enough to say that the ADA has not gone far enough to help people with disabilities to find gainful employment.
There are also those who say that there are some areas that the ADA does not cover. The two issues that come to mind are the involuntary sterilization of people with disabilities. and the sub minimum wages that people with disabilities make at workshops . These two issues need to be addressed but the ADA says nothing about them.
This Wednesday night, March 30th, at 8pm CDT Disabled Radio will be hosting Greg Perry. Greg definitely had his opinions of the ADA. Make plans to join us for this lively discussion. In the mean time leave your thoughts about the ADA here at Disabledradio.com. Is it a good law or bad law? What changes would you make to the Law?