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National Disability Rights Network Urges Congress to Ensure Compliance with the ADA (07/2010)

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NDRN Intern Testifies at House Judiciary Committee Hearing (7/2010) --------------------------------------------- National Disability Rights Network Urges Congress to Ensure Compliance with the ADA [Print] For Immediate Release July 22, 2010 Press Contact: David Card (202) 408-9514 ext 122 press@ndrn.org 20th anniversary of landmark Americans with Disabilities Act reveals progress and much yet to be done   WASHINGTON – Twenty years after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), physical and attitudinal barriers still exist for people with disabilities. Passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law by the first President Bush July 26, 1990, the ADA was intended to ensure that individuals with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as every other American.  Considered the fundamental civil rights bill for those with disabilities, the ADA promised to open new frontiers in education, employment, transportation and other aspects of daily life. “While great progress has been made since passage of the ADA, bad court decisions, infrastructure that is still out of compliance and businesses that continue to discriminate based on outdated stereotypes, mean we still have a long way to go,” said NDRN Executive Director Curt Decker. “Every day we get requests for assistance because somewhere, someone is refusing to comply with the ADA’s mandate.”  The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and the Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities. Collectively, the Network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.   ------------------------------------------ NDRN Intern Testifies at House Judiciary Committee Hearing [Print] For Immediate Release July 22, 2010 Press Contact: David Card (202) 408-9514 ext 122 press@ndrn.org WASHINGTON – A National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) intern testified today at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).   Adrian Villalobos, a public policy intern at NDRN working toward a graduate degree in Public and Business Administration, offered testimony on his personal experiences since passage of the ADA.  The law was just three years old when Adrian, at the age of 8, was struck by a car.  After two months of hospitalization and rehabilitation, he returned to an elementary school that was not accessible to a person using a wheelchair.   In his moving testimony, Adrian told the story of how the ADA gave him and his family the tools needed to overcome obstacles that could have prevented him from completing his education.  Describing his elementary school, Adrian testified, “My teacher and my twin [brother] had to drag my chair through the pebbled walkway all the way around the building to get to the portables [classrooms] and back every day.  I was still unable to get into the main school building and none of the restrooms were accessible.  To get to the cafeteria and auditorium, which were detached from the main building, I had to enter through a loading dock.”     Adrian described how his family was able to point to the law to insist the schools he attended were made accessible for wheelchair-users.  Once the accommodations were made, he said, he could do what all the other kids could do.  The law afforded him opportunities to achieve his full potential.   The ADA was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26th, 1990. Adrian urged policy makers to continue to strengthen the ADA and to be proactive about full inclusion and rights of people with disabilities   # # # The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and the Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities. Collectively, the Network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.

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