The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments Act is Now Law
Workplace Discrimination Protections for People with Disabilities Restored
On September 25, 2008, President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments Act into law. In doing so, protections against workplace discrimination were restored to millions of Americans with disabilities.
The original Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) did for people with disabilities what the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did for communities of color – safeguard their civil rights and protect them from discrimination. However, narrow court interpretations have rolled back ADA protections against workplace discrimination and stripped coverage for individuals with health challenges including diabetes, epilepsy, and even cancer.
In recent years, restrictive court decisions have curtailed established civil rights. The ADA Amendments Act demonstrates that Congress and the President can take decisive, restorative action when the courts get it wrong.
This victory shows the power of bipartisan alliance and multi-sectored coalition – as members of the civil rights, disability and business communities came together to work with Congress to fix this wrong. And this historic day would not have been possible without you!
Your actions – through the thousands of phone calls, emails, letters and visits made to Congressional offices - sent a clear message to Congress and the White House that people with disabilities have the right to equal opportunity in employment and protection from workplace discrimination.
Again, congratulations on this exciting victory and thank you for everything you did to help make it happen.
- The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
To read more about the passage of this historic law, please read our feature story covering the President's signing.
