Home : Disability Rights : Americans With Disabilities Act

ACLU Commends Senate Passage of ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (09/11/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union was pleased to see overwhelming bipartisan support in today’s Senate passage of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. The legislation seeks to undo nearly two decades of legal setbacks to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), restoring the landmark legislation to its original intent. Senate passage was through unanimous consent; the House passed a similar bill this past June.

ACLU Urges House Committee to Support ADA Restoration Act (01/29/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the House Committee on Education and Labor for holding a hearing on H.R. 3195, the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Restoration Act.

ACLU Joins Civil Rights Organizations for Disability Rights Briefing (01/08/2008)
Washington, DC – Today the American Civil Liberties Union participated in a briefing in conjunction with the Leadership Conference for Civil Rights, to discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Restoration Act of 2007 (H.R. 3195 / S. 1881). The briefing was held to expand the base of supporters for this vital legislation beyond the disability community, specifically reaching out to veterans services organizations, unions, civil rights and religious groups, racial justice organizations, and others.

Statement of Logan Hopper in Johnson, Peterson, and Curfman v. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (06/09/2008)
Declaration of an expert witness regarding physical and programmatic access for people with disabilities in Los Angeles county jails, submitted as part of Johnson, Peterson, and Curfman v. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Langford v. Schweitzer Notice of Compliance (09/17/2007)
Notice of Compliance documenting the experiences of disabled inmates at Montana State Prison who have been denied access to services and programs because of their disabilities in violation of the Langford v. Schweitzer settlement agreement.

ACLU Comments for Title II ADA Regulations (08/18/2008)
Comments on Department of Justice – Regulation on Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services; Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities—Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 73 Fed. Reg. 34566, June 17, 2008 (CRT Dockets No. 105 and 106)

ACLU Letter to House Members Urging Support on H.R. 3195, the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (06/24/2008)
On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and its hundreds of thousands of members, activists, and fifty-three affiliates nationwide, we urge you to vote in favor of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). The ADAAA restores the original promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) – that individuals with disabilities, who are willing and able to work, should be able to do so free from discrimination. Unfortunately, a series of Supreme Court decisions has eroded that basic promise.

ACLU ADA Resoration Act Backgrounder (01/10/2008)

ACLU Letter Thanking House Sponsors of the Americans with Disabilities Act Restoration Act (11/26/2007)

ACLU Letter Thanking Senate Sponsors of the Americans with Disabilities Act Restoration Act (11/26/2007)

Links To other Disability Rights Resources (02/15/2002)
The following sites provide comprehensive or unique resources relating to the work of the ACLU in this issue area. While some of these sites are operated by organizations that work frequently in coalition with the ACLU, the sites may also include materials on positions we do not share. To report a broken or relocated link, or to suggest a site for inclusion on this page, use the feedback button at the bottom of this page.

Essential Protection for People with Disabilities (02/15/2002)
During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, people with disabilities began to demand more autonomy in their lives, starting an "independent living" movement and rejecting society's attitudes of pity, charity, and rehabilitation. Congress responded with the Fair Housing Amendments Act -- "a national commitment to end the unnecessary exclusion of persons with [disabilities] from the American mainstream."