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76-415: The mission of AAPD is to increase the political and economic power of people with disabilities. As a national disability-led and cross-disability rights organization, AAPD advocates for full civil rights for over 60 million Americans with disabilities. AAPD promotes equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation for people with disabilities. One of the primary goals of AAPD

152-510: A balancing test between the cost of the proposed alteration and the wherewithal of the business and/or owners of the business. Thus, what might be "readily achievable" for a sophisticated and financially capable corporation might not be readily achievable for a small or local business. There are exceptions to this title; many private clubs and religious organizations may not be bound by Title III. With regard to historic properties (those properties that are listed or that are eligible for listing in

228-553: A disability is excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently than other individuals because of the absence of auxiliary aids and services, unless the public accommodation can demonstrate that taking those steps would fundamentally alter the nature of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations being offered or would result in an undue burden, i.e., significant difficulty or expense." The term "auxiliary aids and services" includes: Captions are considered one type of auxiliary aid. Since

304-675: A disability". This applies to job application procedures, hiring, advancement and discharge of employees, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. "Covered entities" include employers with 15 or more employees, as well as employment agencies , labor organizations , and joint labor-management committees. There are strict limitations on when a covered entity can ask job applicants or employees disability-related questions or require them to undergo medical examination, and all medical information must be kept confidential. Prohibited discrimination may include, among other things, firing or refusing to hire someone based on

380-681: A disability. In 2008, the United States House Committee on Education and Labor stated that the amendment "makes it absolutely clear that the ADA is intended to provide broad coverage to protect anyone who faces discrimination on the basis of disability." Thus the ADAAA led to broader coverage of impaired employees. In October 2019, the Supreme Court declined to resolve a circuit split as to whether websites are covered by

456-500: A field secretary for the SNCC, contributed to the creation of welfare programs, and was determined to obtain federal commodities for African Americans. The leadership program provides stipends to young black disabled advocates to create national campaigns that promotes voter registration and participation. Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA ( 42 U.S.C.   § 12101 )

532-632: A former Vice President for Organizing and Civic Engagement for AAPD, the Disability Vote Project consisted of 36 national disability-related groups whose goal was to provide equal political participation to those with disabilities. The project's main objectives include election reform, Get-Out-The-Vote campaigns, voter education, and polling site accessibility. AAPD hosts Disability Voting Rights Week (DVRW) every year in September. AAPD's DVRW page states that "Disability Voting Rights Week

608-541: A history of having such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was charged with interpreting the 1990 law with regard to discrimination in employment. The EEOC developed regulations limiting an individual's impairment to one that "severely or significantly restricts" a major life activity. The ADAAA directed the EEOC to amend its regulations and replace "severely or significantly" with "substantially limits",

684-422: A lecture & performance series on Disability justice that featured talks with disability activists, scholars, and cultural workers including Karen Nakamura , Margaret Price , Leroy F. Moore Jr. , Kassiane Asasumasu , Stephanie Kerschbaum , and Shain M. Neumeier . In the fall of 2012, Brown designed a proposal for and organized a planning committee of over 20 university community members to advocate for

760-652: A more lenient standard. On September 25, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) into law. The amendment broadened the definition of "disability", thereby extending the ADA's protections to a greater number of people. The ADAAA also added to the ADA examples of "major life activities" including, but not limited to, "caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working" as well as

836-683: A nine year old autistic student, was punished by being placed inside a large bag. The petition gained over 200,000 signatures and media attention. In 2013, Brown co-organized a protest outside the Food and Drug Administration White Oak Campus in Maryland against the Judge Rotenberg Center , which is known for its use of aversives as a form of behavioral modification on people with developmental disabilities , including many autistic people. Later, in 2014, Brown testified against

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912-420: A real or perceived disability, segregation, and harassment based on a disability. Covered entities are also required to provide reasonable accommodations to job applicants and employees with disabilities. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are typically done that the person needs because of a disability, and can include, among other things, special equipment that allows the person to perform

988-535: A report, Towards Independence, in which the Council examined incentives and disincentives in federal laws towards increasing the independence and full integration of people with disabilities into U.S. society. Among the disincentives to independence the Council identified was the existence of large remaining gaps in civil rights coverage for people with disabilities in the United States. A principal conclusion of

1064-422: A restaurant. People with disabilities cannot be treated as "less than" other customers. However, if a business normally charges for damages caused by the person to property, damage caused by a service animal can also require compensation. The ADA provides explicit coverage for auxiliary aids. ADA says that "a public accommodation shall take those steps that may be necessary to ensure that no individual with

1140-438: A wheelchair, multiple sclerosis , muscular dystrophy , obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and schizophrenia . Other mental or physical health conditions also may be disabilities, depending on what the individual's symptoms would be in the absence of "mitigating measures" such as medication, therapy, assistive devices, or other means of restoring function, during an "active episode" of

1216-546: Is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability . It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , which made discrimination based on race , religion , sex , national origin , and other characteristics illegal, and later sexual orientation and gender identity . In addition, unlike the Civil Rights Act,

1292-650: Is a former Patricia Morrissey Disability Policy Fellow at the Institute for Educational Leadership. They were a policy analyst for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network . They were the chairperson of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council from 2015 to 2017, the youngest appointee chairing any state developmental disabilities council in the U.S. As a graduate student, they were

1368-409: Is all about protecting the rights of people with disabilities to participate fully." DVRW activities include hosting a voter registration or education event, sharing materials and resources on voting, and asking local government leaders to issue a proclamation for Disability Voting Rights Week. Disability Voting Rights Week previously was known as National Disability Voter Registration Week . AAPD held

1444-537: Is also excluded from the definition of "disability". However, in 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit stated that the ADA covers individuals with gender dysphoria , which may aid transgender people in accessing legal protections they otherwise may be unable to. The ADA states that a " covered entity " shall not discriminate against "a qualified individual with

1520-623: Is an American autistic disability rights activist, writer, attorney, and public speaker who was honored by the White House in 2013. They are the chairperson of the American Bar Association Civil Rights & Social Justice Disability Rights Committee. They are also Policy Counsel for Privacy & Data at the Center for Democracy & Technology , and Director of Policy, Advocacy, & External Affairs at

1596-564: Is charged with enforcing this provision. Under Title III, no individual may be discriminated against on the basis of disability with regards to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases, or operates a place of public accommodation. Public accommodations include most places of lodging (such as inns and hotels), recreation, transportation, education, and dining, along with stores, care providers, and places of public displays. Under Title III of

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1672-521: Is observed nationwide, with over 10,000 young people with disabilities taking part in activities supported by over 1,500 commercial, charitable, governmental, and educational institutions. The Disability Equality Index, joint facilitated by AAPD and Disability:IN, is an annual benchmarking tool for disability inclusion in the workforce. Companies are scored across 6 categories: Culture & Leadership, Enterprise-Wide Access, Employment Practices, Community Engagement, and Supplier Diversity. Launched in 2002,

1748-823: Is prohibited if it is intended to interfere. The ADA has roots in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 . The law began in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1985 as the Virginians with Disabilities Act—supported by Warren G. Stambaugh —which was passed by the state Virginia . It is the first iteration of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In 1986, the National Council on Disability (NCD), an independent federal agency, issued

1824-404: Is reported to have "inconvenienced" several senators and to have pushed them to approve the act. While there are those who do not attribute much overall importance to this action, the "Capitol Crawl" of 1990 is seen by some present-day disability activists in the United States as a central act for encouraging the ADA into law. Senator Tom Harkin ( D - IA ) authored what became the final bill and

1900-825: Is to further the implementation of the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act . AAPD was founded on July 25, 1995, by Paul Hearne, Senator Bob Dole , John D. Kemp , Justin Dart , Tony Coelho , Pat Wright , Jim Weisman, Lex Frieden , Sylvia Walker , Paul Marchand, Fred Fay , I. King Jordan , Denise Figueroa, Judi Chamberlin , Bill Demby, Deborah Kaplan , Nancy Bloch, Max Starkloff , Mike Auberger, Neil Jacobson, Ralph Neas , Ron Hartley, and others. AAPD advocates for full civil rights for Americans with disabilities. AAPD has four core policy principles, including community integration, equal opportunity and economic self-sufficiency, equal rights and political participation, and

1976-549: The Americans with Disabilities Act , Tony Coehlo , this scholarship is funded by NBCUniversal . Eligibility is restricted to students with disabilities who are pursuing careers in media, communications, or entertainment industries. Managed by Rooted in Rights, the fellowship program provides the opportunity for individuals to combine disability advocacy with digital media storytelling. Named for black disabled civil rights and voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer who worked as

2052-565: The Georgetown University Student Association and was on the planning committee for the first university-recognized Disability Cultural Month in October 2012. They wrote and disseminated a citywide guide to resources for students with disabilities, surveyed student government candidates on disability issues, organized a Twitter chat by Georgetown students with disabilities, and hosted and organized

2128-665: The National Register of Historic Places , or properties designated as historic under state or local law), those facilities must still comply with the provisions of Title III of the ADA to the "maximum extent feasible" but if following the usual standards would "threaten to destroy the historic significance of a feature of the building" then alternative standards may be used. Under 2010 revisions of Department of Justice regulations, newly constructed or altered swimming pools, wading pools, and spas must have an accessible means of entrance and exit to pools for disabled people. However,

2204-464: The U.S. Department of Justice . These regulations cover access to all programs and services offered by the entity. Access includes physical access described in the ADA Standards for Accessible Design and programmatic access that might be obstructed by discriminatory policies or procedures of the entity. Title II applies to public transportation provided by public entities through regulations by

2280-638: The U.S. Department of Transportation . It includes the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), along with all other commuter authorities. This section requires the provision of paratransit services by public entities that provide fixed-route services. ADA also sets minimum requirements for space layout in order to facilitate wheelchair securement on public transport. Title II also applies to all state and local public housing, housing assistance, and housing referrals. The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

2356-565: The 2018-2019 Justice Catalyst Legal Fellow at the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. Brown has lectured on neurodiversity ; connections between trans , queer , and disability experiences; racial justice and the disability rights movement ; and intersectionality at numerous colleges and universities, including Yale University , Bellevue College , University of Virginia , Grinnell College , College of William & Mary , and Vanderbilt University as part of

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2432-565: The AAPD Summer Internship Program places college students, graduate students, law students, and recent graduates with disabilities in paid summer internships with Congressional offices, federal agencies, nonprofit and for-profit organizations within the Washington, DC area. Additionally, interns are matched with a mentor, and participate in a Disability Advocacy Certificate Program. On March 3, 2023, AAPD announced

2508-567: The ADA also requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, and imposes accessibility requirements on public accommodations . In 1986, the National Council on Disability had recommended the enactment of an Americans with Disabilities Act and drafted the first version of the bill which was introduced in the House and Senate in 1988. A broad bipartisan coalition of legislators supported

2584-533: The ADA include both mental and physical conditions. A condition does not need to be severe or permanent to be a disability. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations provide a list of conditions that should easily be concluded to be disabilities: amputation , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism , bipolar disorder , blindness , cancer , cerebral palsy , deafness , diabetes , epilepsy , HIV/AIDS , intellectual disability , major depressive disorder , mobility impairments requiring

2660-591: The ADA is a "failure to remove" architectural barriers in existing facilities. See 42 U.S.C.   § 12182(b)(2)(A)(iv) . This means that even facilities that have not been modified or altered in any way after the ADA was passed still have obligations. The standard is whether "removing barriers" (typically defined as bringing a condition into compliance with the ADAAG) is "readily achievable", defined as "...easily accomplished without much difficulty or expense". The statutory definition of "readily achievable" calls for

2736-543: The ADA labeled religious institutions "public accommodations" and thus would have required churches to make costly structural changes to ensure access for all. The cost argument advanced by ACSI and others prevailed in keeping religious institutions from being labeled as "public accommodations". Church groups such as the National Association of Evangelicals testified against the ADA's Title I employment provisions on grounds of religious liberty. The NAE believed

2812-609: The ADA, all new construction (construction, modification or alterations) after the effective date of the ADA (approximately July 1992) must be fully compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) found in the Code of Federal Regulations at 28 C.F.R., Part 36, Appendix A . Title III also has applications to existing facilities. One of the definitions of "discrimination" under Title III of

2888-455: The ADA, while the bill was opposed by business interests (who argued the bill imposed costs on business) and conservative evangelicals (who opposed protection for individuals with HIV ). The final version of the bill was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush . It was later amended in 2008 and signed by President George W. Bush with changes effective as of January 1, 2009. Conditions classed as disabilities under

2964-523: The ADA. The Court turned down an appeal from Domino's Pizza and let stand a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling which held that the Americans with Disabilities Act protects access not just to brick-and-mortar public accommodations, but also to the websites and apps of those businesses. The ADA led to significant improvements in terms of access to public services, accessibility in the built environment , and societal understanding of disability. Lydia Brown Lydia X. Z. Brown (born 1993)

3040-510: The Americans with Disabilities Act was "an expensive headache to millions" that would not necessarily improve the lives of people with disabilities. Shortly before the act was passed, disability rights activists with physical disabilities coalesced in front of the Capitol Building , shed their crutches, wheelchairs , powerchairs and other assistive devices , and immediately proceeded to crawl and pull their bodies up all 100 of

3116-614: The Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network. In 2022, they unsuccessfully ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 7A , losing to state delegate Kathy Szeliga and delegate-elect Ryan Nawrocki . As an undergraduate student at Georgetown University from 2011 to 2015, Brown was a student organizer and advocate for disabled students on campus. Brown served as the first Undersecretary of Disability Affairs for

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3192-503: The Capitol's front steps, without warning. As the activists did so, many of them chanted "ADA now", and "Vote, Now". Some activists who remained at the bottom of the steps held signs and yelled words of encouragement at the "Capitol Crawlers". Jennifer Keelan, a second grader with cerebral palsy , was videotaped as she pulled herself up the steps, using mostly her hands and arms, saying "I'll take all night if I have to." This direct action

3268-571: The Fair Housing Act, Rehabilitation Act , and the Americans with Disabilities Act are being followed. AAPD's REV UP (Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power!) campaign works to increase voter registration and turnout among people with disabilities, fight election barriers and voter suppression , and educate voters on issues facing the disability community. AAPD works with the non-partisan VoteRiders organization to spread state-specific information on voter ID requirements. Led Jim Dickson,

3344-746: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt rules requiring closed captioning of most television programming. The FCC's rules on closed captioning became effective January 1, 1998. Title IV of the ADA amended the Communications Act of 1934 primarily by adding section 47 U.S.C.   § 225 . This section requires that all telecommunications companies in the U.S. take steps to ensure functionally equivalent services for consumers with disabilities, notably those who are deaf or hard of hearing and those with speech impairments. When Title IV took effect in

3420-980: The Inclusive Astronomy Conference. In 2015, Brown gave the keynote speech at the Students of Color Conference held in Yakima , Washington, and in 2016, Brown gave the keynote speech at the Queer I Am Leadership Symposium held at South Puget Sound Community College . They previously taught as a visiting lecturer at Tufts University 's Experimental College, and as an Adjunct Lecturer in Disability Studies at Georgetown University and Adjunct Professorial Lecturer in American Studies at American University 's Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies. In 2013, Brown

3496-597: The Internet by consumers who use broadband connections. Some are Video Relay Service (VRS) calls, while others are text calls. In either variation, communication assistants translate between the signed or typed words of a consumer and the spoken words of others. In 2006, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), VRS calls averaged two million minutes a month. Title V includes technical provisions. It discusses, for example,

3572-1154: The JRC on their website. During college, Brown co-founded the Washington Metro Disabled Students Collective. Brown was the lead editor of All the Weight of Our Dreams, an anthology of art and writing entirely by autistic people of color published by the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network in June 2017. In 2020, Brown supported the FDA's ban of electric shock devices at the Judge Rotenberg Center and said that there should be reparations for survivors of this method of torture. A study by Nature Communications found that trans individuals were three to six times more likely to be autistic, and gender diverse people are more likely to report traits of autism. The intersectionality of gender and neurodivergence has led both communities to coin

3648-400: The Judge Rotenberg Center's use of electric shock aversives at a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel hearing. Prior to the hearing, Brown submitted a written testimony on behalf of TASH New England arguing that electric shock aversive devices should be banned as an ineffective and dangerous form of treatment. Brown maintains a living archive of documents and other resources related to

3724-742: The National Council on Disability, founded the first legal services office for the disabled, directed Just One Break Inc. from 1979 to 1989, and contributed to the drafting of the historic Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. The Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Award recognizes emerging leaders with disabilities. Recipients receive funding to further a new or existing project or initiative that increases opportunities for people with disabilities. Past recipients include Claudia L Gordon , Lauren Ridloff , Jerry White , Cheri Blauwet , Victor Pineda , Maureen McKinnon-Tucker , Anjali Forber-Pratt , Jason DaSilva , Alice Wong and Lydia X. Z. Brown . Named for former United States Representative and primary sponsor of

3800-527: The United States Congress have carefully crafted this Act. We've all been determined to ensure that it gives flexibility, particularly in terms of the timetable of implementation; and we've been committed to containing the costs that may be incurred.... Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down. The ADA defines a covered disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities,

3876-737: The United States Constitution . The Court determined that state employees cannot sue their employer for violating ADA rules. State employees can, however, file complaints at the Department of Justice or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , who can sue on their behalf. Title II prohibits disability discrimination by all public entities at the local level, e.g., school district, municipal, city, or county, and at state level. Public entities must comply with Title II regulations by

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3952-528: The animal is a direct threat to someone's health and safety. Allergies and fear of animals are not considered to be such a threat. Businesses that prepare or serve food must allow service animals and their owners on the premises even if state or local health laws otherwise prohibit animals. Businesses that prepare or serve food are not required to provide care, food, a relief area for service animals. Extra fees for service animals are forbidden. They cannot be discriminated against, such as by isolation from people at

4028-417: The animal is a service animal and ask what tasks it is trained to perform, but are not allowed to ask the service animal to perform the task nor ask for an animal ID. They cannot ask what the person's disabilities are. A person with a disability cannot be removed from the premises unless one of two things happen: the animal is out of control and its owner cannot control it (e.g., a dog barking uncontrollably), or

4104-405: The condition (if the condition is episodic). Certain specific conditions that are widely considered anti-social , or tend to result in illegal activity, such as kleptomania , pedophilia , exhibitionism , voyeurism , etc. are excluded under the definition of "disability" in order to prevent abuse of the statute's purpose. Additionally, sexual orientation is no longer considered a disorder and

4180-546: The creation of a Disability Cultural Center on campus. The planning committee's recommendations, in combination with a 2014 #BeingDisabledAtGeorgetown (shortened version: #BDGU ) online campaign, contributed to the Disability Studies Minor Working Group's establishment of a Disability Studies Course Cluster in the fall of 2015 and Georgetown University's subsequent approval of the creation of a Disability Studies minor in 2017. It also led to

4256-685: The creation of a dedicated fund for sign language interpretation and real-time captioning, and the creation of a dedicated access coordinator position. A Disability Cultural Center has not yet been established as of May 2022. As a Public Interest Law Scholar at Northeastern University School of Law , Brown helped to found the Disability Justice Caucus. Brown has described themselves as having "fallen into activism by accident". Their experience raising over $ 1200 for an autism awareness nonprofit advocacy organization then returning funds to donors after discovering behavior "counter to

4332-462: The early 1990s, it led to the installation of public teletypewriter (TTY) machines and other TDD ( telecommunications devices for the deaf ). Title IV also led to the creation, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, of what was then called dual-party relay services and now are known as Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS), such as STS relay . Today, many TRS-mediated calls are made over

4408-724: The fact that nothing in the ADA amends, overrides or cancels anything in Section 504 . Additionally, Title V includes an anti-retaliation or coercion provision. The Technical Assistance Manual for the ADA explains this provision: III-3.6000 Retaliation or coercion. Individuals who exercise their rights under the ADA, or assist others in exercising their rights, are protected from retaliation. The prohibition against retaliation or coercion applies broadly to any individual or entity that seeks to prevent an individual from exercising his or her rights or to retaliate against him or her for having exercised those rights ... Any form of retaliation or coercion, including threats, intimidation, or interference,

4484-415: The first National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) in 2016, prior to the 2016 US Presidential Election . Following a 1999 proclamation from President Bill Clinton , Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) was established to provide mentorship and career advice for people with disabilities. AAPD administers the program as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month . Every October, Mentoring Day

4560-616: The illegal use of drugs is not considered qualified when a covered entity takes adverse action based on such use. Part of Title I was found unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court as it pertains to states in the case of Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett as violating the sovereign immunity rights of the several states as specified by the Eleventh Amendment to

4636-424: The job, scheduling changes, and changes to the way work assignments are chosen or communicated. An employer is not required to provide an accommodation that would involve undue hardship (excessive difficulty or expense), and the individual who receives the accommodation must still perform the essential functions of the job and meet the normal performance requirements. An employee or applicant who currently engages in

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4712-697: The launch of the AAPD Fall Internship Program with funding from the Arconic Foundation. The Fall Internship Program runs from October to December. Interns complete remote, paid internships at pre-selected sites. Like the summer program, interns are matched with a mentor and participate in a Disability Advocacy Certificate Program. Notable alumni of the internship program include Lydia X. Z. Brown , Ari Ne'eman , Stacey Milbern and Leah Katz-Hernandez . Named for disability rights activist Paul G. Hearne, who served as director of

4788-475: The operation of several specified "major bodily functions". The act overturned a 1999 US Supreme Court case that held that an employee was not disabled if the impairment could be corrected by mitigating measures; it specifically provides that such impairment must be determined without considering such ameliorative measures. It also overturned the court's finding that an impairment that substantially limits one major life activity must also limit others to be considered

4864-590: The organization's stated mission" led them to seek out and later work with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network . In Massachusetts, Brown first wrote and introduced legislation in 2010 on autism and developmental disabilities training for law enforcement, including corrections officers, and has continued to lobby for passage of that bill. In 2011, Brown wrote a petition demanding school district-wide policy changes in Mercer County, Kentucky after viewing local news coverage of an incident in which Christopher Baker,

4940-406: The outside world." The US Chamber of Commerce argued that the costs of the ADA would be "enormous" and have "a disastrous impact on many small businesses struggling to survive." The National Federation of Independent Business , an organization that lobbies for small businesses, called the ADA "a disaster for small business". Pro-business conservative commentators joined in opposition, writing that

5016-501: The passage of the ADA, the use of captioning has expanded. Entertainment, educational, informational, and training materials are captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences at the time they are produced and distributed. The Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990 requires that all televisions larger than 13 inches sold in the United States after July 1993 have a special built-in decoder that enables viewers to watch closed-captioned programming. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 directs

5092-498: The regulation of the internal employment of churches was "... an improper intrusion [of] the federal government." Many companies, corporations, and business groups opposed the Americans with Disabilities Act, arguing that the legislation would impose costs on businesses. Testifying before Congress, Greyhound Bus Lines stated that the act had the potential to "deprive millions of people of affordable intercity public transportation and thousands of rural communities of their only link to

5168-552: The report was to recommend the adoption of comprehensive civil rights legislation, which became the ADA. The idea of federal legislation enhancing and extending civil rights legislation to millions of Americans with disabilities gained bipartisan support in late 1988 and early 1989. In early 1989 both Congress and the newly inaugurated Bush White House worked separately, then jointly, to write legislation capable of expanding civil rights without imposing undue harm or costs on those already in compliance with existing rules and laws. Over

5244-480: The requirement is conditioned on whether providing access through a fixed lift is "readily achievable". Other requirements exist, based on pool size, include providing a certain number of accessible means of entry and exit, which are outlined in Section 242 of the standards. However, businesses are free to consider the differences in the application of the rules depending on whether the pool is new or altered, or whether

5320-428: The right to quality, comprehensive, and affordable healthcare. AAPD advocates for people with disabilities on many policy issues, including topics like community integration, COVID-19, education, employment, health, housing, international issues, technology, transportation, and veteran issues. AAPD advocates for those with disabilities to ensure that they have access to safe and affordable housing. It works to assure that

5396-428: The swimming pool was in existence before the effective date of the new rule. Full compliance may not be required for existing facilities; Section 242 and 1009 of the 2010 Standards outline such exceptions. ADA provides explicit coverage for service animals . Guidelines protect persons with disabilities and indemnify businesses from damages related to granting access to service animals. Businesses are allowed to ask if

5472-510: The term gendervague. Lydia X. Z. Brown has popularized the term which refers to an intersection between their neurodivergent and the transgender identities. Gendervague falls under the non-binary and transgender umbrellas, although individuals who identify with this term feel their gender identity is intertwined with their neurodivergence. Brown noted, "for many of us, gender mostly impacts our lives when projected onto us through other people's assumptions, but holds little intrinsic meaning." Brown

5548-523: The years, key activists and advocates played an important role in lobbying members of the U.S. Congress to develop and pass the ADA, including Justin Whitlock Dart Jr. , Patrisha Wright and others. Wright is known as "the General" for her work in coordinating the campaign to enact the ADA. She is widely considered the main force behind the campaign lobbying for the ADA. Senator Bob Dole

5624-405: Was a supporter and advocate for the bill. Conservative evangelicals opposed the ADA because the legislation protected individuals with HIV, which they associated with homosexuality. The debate over the Americans with Disabilities Act led some religious groups to take opposite positions. The Association of Christian Schools International opposed the ADA in its original form, primarily because

5700-474: Was its chief sponsor in the Senate. Harkin delivered part of his introduction speech in sign language, saying it was so his deaf brother could understand. President George H. W. Bush , on signing the measure on July 26, 1990, said: I know there may have been concerns that the ADA may be too vague or too costly, or may lead endlessly to litigation. But I want to reassure you right now that my administration and

5776-729: Was recognized by the White House Champions of Change program in commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act . The Washington Peace Center selected Brown as the recipient of its 2014 Empowering the Future Youth Activist Award for their work with the Washington Metro Disabled Students Collective and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. In 2015, Brown was named

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