Landmark Disability Rights Bill Sails through the House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 25, 2008—The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 passed the House today by an overwhelming margin, 402-17, marking a historic move toward securing the promise of the original Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in 1990.

In a show of bipartisan unity, congressional leaders and key members of the disability and employer communities held a press conference in support of the bill shortly before it went to the House floor for a vote.

The bill clarifies for the courts that people with disabilities should not lose civil rights protections because their condition is treatable with medication or can be addressed with the help of assistive technology. The bill also clarifies the definition of disability to include all individuals whose impairment substantially limits a major life activity.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who introduced the original ADA, recalled the ADA’s pledge to protect all people with disabilities from discrimination but acknowledged that the doors Congress intended to open, “still aren’t open all the way.” He cited recent Supreme Court rulings, which have eroded the ADA, leaving people with disabilities including epilepsy, diabetes, cancer and mental illness, without the protections Congress envisioned when the ADA was originally enacted. He said, to a chorus of cheers, “We’re here today to burst the doors open once and for all!”

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) said, “As a result of the ADA Amendments Act, a person with a disability will no longer have to do what no other person who claims discrimination under the civil rights act has to do, and that is to first prove their qualifications and then prove discrimination.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D-N.Y.) said the bill “strikes the right balance between the needs of the employers and the needs of those with disabilities.”

Elizabeth Goldberg, founder of the Epilepsy Foundation’s Youth Council, speaking on behalf of people living with a disability, recalled fears in job interviews over disclosing her disability and the prospect of being denied employment for something she could not control. She said, after the press conference, “I’m here to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves but, more importantly, I’m here for those who are afraid to speak for themselves, who feel stigmatized and fear discrimination.”

Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) argued the bill would help stimulate the country’s economy. By opening the doors of employment to all Americans, the new legislation would “once again put our best team on the field” and “make America grow.”

Eric Hargis, president and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation, said the ADA was passed originally with overwhelming bipartisan support and believed this new legislation required the same sort of collaboration to craft language that reflected the common goals of the employer and disability communities. Noting the current legislation’s broad base of support he said, “That is why this bill is going to sail through the House today.”

The bill now moves to the Senate. Lawmakers today urged the public to contact their senators and help ensure the bill’s passage in order to secure the promise of the ADA, as it was originally envisioned.