TITLE
Recommendation to acknowledge and celebrate the 31st Anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and receive and file an update from the Citizen's Advisory Commission on Disabilities.
DISCUSSION
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. The ADA is one of America's most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation, prohibiting discrimination and guarantying that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life - to enjoy employment opportunities, to purchase goods and services, and to participate in State and local government programs and services. Modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin - the ADA is an "equal opportunity" law for people with disabilities.
The Act represented, and still represents, a commitment on the part of the government to eliminating discrimination against people with disabilities and is responsible for some of the nation's biggest steps towards equality - banning discrimination against people with disabilities in hiring and in the workplace, requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, and setting standards for accessibility in places of public accommodation.
Despite this commitment, cities still have a long way to go to ensure that the concerns of people with disabilities are centered in our public policy decisions and that local government makes furthering accessibility a top priority. It was with this long road to true accessibility ahead of us that the city created the Citizen's Advisory Council on Disabilities, whose purpose is to advise the Mayor, City Council and City Manager on the concerns and issues affecting people with disabilities in the community.
CACOD consists of community members from the City of Long...
Click here for full text