Thirty-six years ago this past Sunday, a landmark law changed what it meant to be an American with a disability.
Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ) is marking the anniversary and making clear the work isn't finished.
"The ADA is a promise that every one of us deserves freedom and dignity, and I'll keep fighting until we fully realize it," Stanton wrote, reflecting on the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law on July 26, 1990.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is one of the most significant civil rights laws in American history. At its core, it prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities across several major areas of life: employment, public services, and public spaces.
Before it existed, people with disabilities had far fewer legal protections when it came to accessing jobs, government programs, or everyday places like restaurants and stores.
The law covers a broad range of people: anyone with a physical or mental disability that substantially limits a major life activity, anyone with a history, and anyone who is perceived by others as having a disability.
ADA Priorities
In practice, the ADA has real consequences for Arizona, as employers with 15 or more workers are required to provide equal job opportunities and make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities, such as adjusting schedules, modifying equipment, or changing workplace policies when feasible.
State and local government agencies in Arizona must also ensure their programs and services are accessible to people with disabilities, covering everything from city services and public transit to court access and public meetings.
The law has also increasingly extended into digital spaces, with websites and online services expected to meet accessibility standards so that people with disabilities can use them effectively.
Despite the progress made since 1990, Stanton's message is that the promise of the ADA remains only partially fulfilled. Gaps in enforcement, inconsistent accessibility standards, and ongoing barriers in digital and physical spaces mean that full equality for people with disabilities is still a work in progress.
For Stanton, the anniversary is both a moment to celebrate how far the country has come and a reminder of how far it still has to go.
