Disability act promotes jobs

This week is the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), one of the country's landmark civil rights measures and the signature domestic achievement of President George H.W. Bush.

The ADA mandates equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities in employment, access to public facilities, transportation and telecommunications.

Although problems persist, particularly in employment, it has transformed America, improved the lives of the 50 million people with disabilities and served as a model for much of the rest of the world.

"In very fundamental ways, it has changed the basic societal perception and expectations of the role of people with disabilities in America, and of the country's obligation to make accommodations to enable the fullest practicable participation of this segment of the population," says Robert Burgdorf Jr., a law professor at the University of the District of Columbia who wrote the first draft of the measure.

The gains have been most visible in accessibility, with curb cuts, transportation and access to public facilities. "The ADA has changed the way Americans get around and relate to their communities," says Andy Imparato, the president of the American Association of People with Disabilities.

UN Convention

A look around the globe and the ADA's impact is evident; it was a catalyst for the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities, an international accord that requires parties to promote equal rights for and full employment of the disabled.

"The US still leads the world in safeguarding the rights of its citizens with disabilities," says Tanya Gallagher, head of the Disability Research Institute at the University of Illinois.

There remain daunting challenges in health care, technology and especially jobs. The jobless rate for disabled people in the US is officially 14.3 per cent, or almost double that of able-bodied workers; since this figure only counts those looking for jobs, the real unemployment rate for the disabled, experts say, probably exceeds 50 per cent.

There are companies that have adopted a more aggressive policy for hiring employees with disabilities. Professor Peter Blanck, chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, recently surveyed 30,000 disabled employees at 14 companies. He found that in firms labelled by employees as "disability friendly", disparities in wages, retention and workplace issues disappeared.

The political problems haven't disappeared. A few months ago, Rand Paul, the Republican candidate for senator in Kentucky, dismissed government efforts.

"I think if you have a two-story office, and you hire someone who's handicapped, it might be reasonable to let him have an office on the first floor rather than the government saying you have to have a $100,000 [Dh367,800] elevator," he said.

Still the progress, in politics, business and social mindsets, is impressive. The health-care bill passed this year banned insurance companies from denying coverage because of preexisting medical conditions, a major triumph for those with disabilities.

The progress since Bush signed the measure in the summer of 1990 has been notable. Moreover, auguring well for the future, there's a generational divide, with younger people far more accepting of those with disabilities.