| ADA Amendments Act: Working to end discrimination against people with disabilities! The Senate recently voted on a bill to protect the principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). |
|
Home
|
On September 18th, Congress gave final approval to the ADA Amendments Act which would expand protections for people with disabilities and overturn several recent Supreme Court decisions. Background: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted to prevent discrimination in against people with disabilities in areas of employment, public services and public transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunications. This groundbreaking law is sometimes called the “Emancipation Proclamation for People with Disabilities” --- meaning that it created true freedom and a framework of basic rights. The Over the past decade, a series of Supreme Court decisions have narrowed who is covered by the The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill on June 25th. Click here to see how your House member voted. The Senate bill was sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), a long-time disability rights advocate along with 77 co-sponsors including both presidential candidates --- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). On September 11th, the Senate unanimously to pass the ADA Amendments Act. This was a strong statement of commitment by Congress to ensuring that people with disabilities are given equal opportunities to suceed and to live the American dream! TAKE ACTION: There are many opportunities throughout the year for us to push lawmakers on issues we want them to take a stand on. We are thrilled that the Senate voted to protect the basic right of people with disabilities to be judged on their performance. Take a moment to call your senators today and thank them for their support of this important legislation! ü Click here to find out who your senators are: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm. ü Contact your senator by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121. SAMPLE PHONE MESSAGE: My name is ___. I am calling to applaud the Senate for their unanimous vote in favor of the ADA Amendments Act. Senate Bill #3406 will restore the basic right of people with disabilities to be judged on their performance. This is a critical civil rights bill. I want to thank Senator ____ for supporting this important bill and honoring the principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Click here to read a Reuters news piece on the passage. |
| Powered By Traffic Booster Absolute News Manager Plug-in by Xigla Software | |
This article has been moved here