Promises Kept, Promises Broken, Promises Deferred: The Americans with Disabilities Act
Impact, 2015
4 Pages Posted: 20 Mar 2016 Last revised: 20 Jun 2016
Date Written: 2015
Abstract
This article, which is part of a 25th anniversary symposium on the ADA's impact on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, argues that although the ADA has led to some demonstrable improvements in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, in some areas it has been disappointing (especially because of well-known restrictive court decisions or unrealistic expectations of what the ADA could achieve), while in still other areas the success of the ADA is still "to be determined." The ADA cannot by itself eliminate stigma against people with disabilities, and it is up to advocates to push for judicial and executive branch interpretations of the ADA that will allow its lofty promises to become reality.
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