Take Action: Urge Congress to Restore the Americans with Disabilities Act

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Urge Congress to Restore the Americans with Disabilities Act

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act broke new ground in providing civil rights for disabled people. Since then, the protections afforded in this law have been eroded by a Supreme Court ruling in 2000 and subsequent court cases around the country that have limited the interpretation of its protections. The original intent of the employment provisions of the ADA was to provide legal recourse in cases where discrimination on the basis of disability occurred. But the dangerous precedent set by these court cases has been applied to mean that individuals who employ measures mitigating their disabilities, including prosthetic limbs, medications, or hearing aids, are no longer covered by the ADA. The ADA Restoration Act would restore the original intent of the legislation, clarifying that the scope of individuals covered could include anyone with a physical or mental impairment or anyone with a history or perception of impairment. This definition will provide individuals who face discrimination with the grounds they need to ensure that their claims get heard in court.

Subject:

Dear [Decision maker's name automatically inserted here],

(Edit Letter Below)

I urge you to co-sponsor and support the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Restoration Act (HR 3195/S 1881). As a society, we are obligated to remove barriers to justice and equality, but since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, the courts have chipped away at the scope of who is covered by the employment discrimination provisions of this landmark legislation. It is essential that Congress act quickly to restore the intent of this law by clarifying the original definition of disability under the ADA.

As a result of Supreme Court precedent established in Sutton v. United Airlines, a disabled person who uses mitigating measures in response to a disability is no longer covered by ADA protections, even though he or she may still face discrimination in the workplace as a result of that disability. These people are trapped in an impossible double-bind that deprives them of justice. Ability cannot be a standard by which people are granted or deprived of their civil rights -- the right to live free from discrimination must be universal if we are to fulfill the promise of justice for all. Please support the ADA Restoration Act and ensure that no American who faces discrimination based on disability is left without recourse.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]


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