CW: Ableism
Former President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law 35 years ago today. As a child, the Americans with Disabilities Act helped give me many of the same opportunities as my nondisabled peers. I attended local schools, and participated in a variety of extracurricular activities.
As an adult, I have learned that great progress has been made since 1990. However, we still have a long way to go until disabled Americans have the same opportunities as our nondisabled peers.
Disabled Americans face discrimination in all aspects of life. We often struggle to receive an education, or find employment. Despite legal protections, only 22.7% of disabled people were employed last year.
This was largely due to the ADA and the enforcement role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which Republicans have recently targeted through initiatives like Project 2025, aimed at weakening disability-rights enforcement. If these efforts succeed, disabled employees could lose vital protections that guarantee accommodations and fair treatment in the workplace.
Disabled people can also legally be paid less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 at work. Subminimum wages are legal because disabled people have been allowed to be paid less than the minimum wage according to U.S. labor law since 1938. This law was enacted during the Great Depression to encourage more people to seek employment.
From a social and relationship perspective, disabled Americans are still being left behind. Many disabled Americans are still unable to legally marry. Disabled people who rely on government programs like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are often unable to marry without their benefits being reduced or eliminated.
We are also seeing legislative threats that go beyond employment and marriage. Proposed cuts to Medicaid, which covers approximately one-third of disabled Americans, could lead to a crisis that could result in tens of thousands of preventable deaths annually. In addition, federal efforts to curtail special education funding, impose work requirements, and limit Social Security and disability benefits are widening equity gaps in schools and communities
A recent GOP-led lawsuit aims to roll back protections under Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, which would endanger required accommodations in schools, workplaces, hospitals, and social services. If successful, it would set a dangerous precedent, potentially unraveling decades of progress for disabled individuals.
As we mark the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we must celebrate the progress made while recognizing that the fight is far from over. Ongoing legal and political threats show that disability rights are still not secure. Equality means full inclusion and protection for disabled Americans in all areas of life.
Sources:
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Roppolo, Michael. “July Is Disability Pride Month. Here’s What You Should Know.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 22 July 2024, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/july-disability-pride-month-what-to-know/.
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