35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Celebrating the ADA Through the Decades

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed on July 26, 1990 by former U.S. President, George H.W. Bush. This year, we celebrate three and a half decades of protections under this comprehensive disability civil rights law and the many milestones that have been reached by the disability community thanks to this important piece of legislation. Join us as we take a journey through the decades to look at:

1990s – Major Supreme Court decisions and how they have shaped the ADA’s enforcement;

2000s – The efforts that led to the ADA Amendments Act of 2008;

2010s – Revisions to the Title II and III regulations and the Accessibility Standards which shaped how service animals and other power-driven mobility devices are addressed as well as added architectural accessibility requirements for playgrounds, swimming pools, recreation facilities, children’s facilities, and more;

2020s – The impact of COVID-19 on remote work and the increased focus on technology which contributed to the push by DOJ to release new regulations for web content and mobile apps used by Title II entities. In addition, the renewed effort to abolish an outdated regulation that allows for people with disabilities to be paid sub-minimum wage.

During this session, our panel of speakers will lead us in honoring the sacrifices and hard-won battles of the past as we move forward and continue our fight for a more accessible future.

Individuals will be able to submit questions for the speakers in advance during the registration process.

This session will have both Sign Language Interpreters and Real-Time Captioning provided.