On the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act, the full impact of this anti-discrimination law, signed into law by Pres. George H.W. Bush, remains to be realized.
Despite advances enabling people with physical disabilities greater access to places once impossible because of stairs, small doors or tiny elevators, obstacles remain for people with physical and mental disabilities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), for example, reports that disability discrimination tops its list of housing complaints.
This is patently clear when it comes to community housing for people with a mental disability. In recent congressional testimony, The Bazelon Center's Robert Bernstein discussed the opportunities presented by the ADA, as well as the work yet to be done to fulfill its mandate for housing, education and full integration. He noted that in most urban areas, the cost of housing outstrips SSI benefits, and called upon HUD to "prioritize creation of new affordable supportive housing for people with disabilities who have SSI-level incomes."
The anniversary was the occasion for North Carolina advocates to call attention to the lack of affordable housing by filing a lawsuit charging group homes had become smaller warehouses with many of the same problems of larger hospitals they were intended to improve upon.
Enforcing Olmstead, the landmark decision guaranteeing treatment in the least restricive community setting, was singled out by the justice department's civil rights division for itsunfinished business. In a press release, Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said:
"Ten years after the landmark decision, tens of thousands of Americans with disabilities are still unnecessarily and unconstitutionally confined in institutions, some with unspeakably dangerous conditions. That's why last year, President Obama marked Olmstead's 10th anniversary by proclaiming the Year of Community Living. Under his leadership, the Division has made it a priority to enforce the integration mandate of the ADA, one of the biggest challenges remaining as we prepare to celebrate the 20th anniversary."Other stories:
The Takeaway: John Hockenberry on Twenty Years of the Americans with Disabilities ActNew York Times: Disabled See Progress, but Problems Persist
Washington Post: Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary: Interview with Andrew Imparato
US News and World Report: Could Bush's Americans with Disabilities Act Pass Today?
CNN: Are disabled still at risk in disasters?
Disability Scoop:In House First, Congressman In Wheelchair To Preside On ADA AnniversaryTime: ADA Anniversary Honored With Historic First
The ADA Rocks