MN Celebrates 20 Years of Access: The Americans With Disabilities Act
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
July 26, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS - When he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on this day 20 years ago, President George H.W. Bush declared: "Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down!"
Pamela Hoopes, the legal director of the Minnesota Disability Law Center, says that, looking back, she can see that the wall has cracked and crumbled, but it's not entirely down. She says stereotypes and misconceptions of people with disabilities still lead to "not in my backyard" attitudes.
"You see it in Minnesota in the ongoing disputes that arise when people with disabilities, who need to live in group settings with some staff, try to find a place to do that. When a home tries to open in a typical suburban neighborhood, for example, often there's neighborhood opposition, and it can be quite vocal."
Hoopes says there's much more acceptance of people with disabilities in the workplace, but this economy has been brutal to such people, who are finding it much more difficult to find and retain jobs.
Funding cuts at the state and county levels have created bigger barriers for people with disabilities, who rely on health and social services to live independently, says Hoopes.
"One example would be personal-care assistant services which allow people to live independently in their homes and often to work as well; those services have been cut back, and are going to be cut back further in the next year."
She says budget decision-makers have not considered the fact that it's much more cost effective for people to live independently than in institutional settings that cost taxpayers considerably more money.
Despite the challenges that still face people with disabilities, Hoopes says there's still much to celebrate today. She points to the recent ADA Restoration Act that expands protection for people with disabilities.
"Once again, people with disabilities have a really strong tool to keep asserting their rights to equal treatment and integration into the full benefits of life in our country."