ADA Amendments Act Becomes Law
With incredible bipartisan support and the signature of President George W. Bush, the ADA Amendments Act was passed into law on September 25, 2008, to restore the original intentions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The bill passed by unanimous voice votes in the House and Senate.
“This vote demonstrates the broad-based bipartisan support for the need to restore protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to people with epilepsy, depression, diabetes, cancer and a host of other conditions who have been interpreted out of the ADA by a callous majority of the U.S. Supreme Court”, said Andrew Imparato, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities, in a statement.
The ADA Amendments Act came together through an impressive collaboration between disability, civil rights and employer groups. To bridge the divide between the disability and business communities, these groups worked together to draft agreeable language that would benefit both sides and gain bipartisan support in Congress.
“We are pleased with Congress and President Bush for recognizing the need for restoring the ADA’s protections as originally intended,” said Suellen Jackson-Boner, executive director of the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities. “With this new law in place, Hoosiers and all 54 million people with disabilities in the U.S. are closer to a society in which people with disabilities are afforded the same opportunities as all members of their communities.”
The new law corrects narrow court interpretations that have restricted ADA protections. Individuals will now be considered as having a disability and eligible for protection without regard to the assistance they may use, such as medications, wheelchairs or prosthesis.
