ADA 20th Anniversary

The Americans with Disabilities Act has turned 20! On this page you will find the following information:

• Video of the Signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Reflections of the Past, Present, and Future
• ADA 20th Anniversary Toolkit
• History of the Americans with Disabilities Act
• ADA Amendments Act of 2008
• Proclamation of Recommitment to the Mission of the ADA by the 20th Anniversary of the ADA

Video of the Signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Reflections of the Past, Present, and Future

In the Summer 2010 issue of our In Focus newsletter Marian Vessels, Director of Mid-Atlantic ADA Center, shares her feelings about the 20th anniversary of the signing of the American with Disabilities Act into law.

Mrs. Vessels also offers a very personal view on the importance of such a momentous event in a short video (different from above) published in YouTube. The clip is from a 22 minute video, "Reflections of a Promise" which is available for loan from the Center.

Check out these other videos:

[NOTE: These video links are being offered as a service. The ADA cannot gaurantee that all videos are properly captioned.]

• ADA National Network Anniversary Video
• History of the Disability Movement and Anniversary of the ADA
• Senator Harkin Celebrating the Anniversary of the ADA
• Epilepsy Foundation: ADA Anniversary Video 

ADA 20th Anniversary Toolkit

Together with national, regional, and local affiliate networks and partners, significant results have been accomplished toward voluntary ADA compliance.

For more information, contact your regional ADA Center at (800) 949-4232 Voice/TTY. Visit the ADA National Network's Anniversary web page to access the 2010 ADA Anniversary Toolkit, and other information related to the anniversary.

History of the ADA

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s gave rise to other civil rights movements, most notably the Women's Rights Movement and the Disability Rights Movement. While minorities and women were protected by civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress during the 1960s, the rights of people with disabilities were not protected by federal legislation until much later. Read more on the history of the ADA.

ADA Amendments Act of 2008

On September 25, 2008, the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) was signed into law. It became effective on January 1, 2009. 

The ADAAA focuses on the discrimination at issue instead of the individual's disability. It makes important changes to the definition of the term "disability" by rejecting the holdings in several Supreme Court decisions and portions of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) ADA regulations. The Act retains the ADA's basic definition of "disability" as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment. However, it changes the way these terms should be interpreted. Read more on the ADA Amendments Act.

Proclamation of Recommitment to the Mission of the ADA by the 20th Anniversary of the ADA

The National ADA Symposium sponsored a unique project to recognize the progress made toward the mission of the ADA--inclusion of people with disabilities into all aspects of American life--while addressing that there is still much work to be done: The 2010 by 2010 Campaign!

The goal to have 2,010 public entities, businesses, and organizations submit a "Proclamation of Recommitment to the Mission of the ADA" by the 20th anniversary of the ADA was achieved!