President George H.W. Bush signed ADA into law in July 1990
On July 26, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Signed into law in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush, the ADA affords civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities by promoting access to employment, schools, transportation, and public spaces.
The ADA has a special meaning for members of the occupational therapy community because it promotes equal access to engaging in everyday activities by prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities, and creating avenues of service for the profession in areas such as work accommodations and environmental accessibility.
In honor of this 30th anniversary, the ADA National Network is asking the public to share how it has impacted their life, the life of a loved one, or what it means to them. You can learn more by visiting www.adaanniversary.org or following #ThanksToTheADA or #ADA30 on social media.
AOTA members such as Abe Saffer, MPM, AOTA’s Senior Legislative Representative, looked back fondly on their days spent advocating for the adoption of the ADA.
“Through my work with policy and legislation, my role is to help the occupational therapy practitioners to have the best environment to help their clients to participate as fully as possible in everyday living,” Saffer said. “The ADA’s passage set us on a course toward equal engagement in activities of daily living, and the advocacy of so many helped pave the way for the ADA, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which I personally owe much of my success to.”
