Much has Changed in 20 Years for People with Disabilities

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sensitivity training The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 was created to help integrate people with disabilities into all aspects of American life, particularly the workplace and the marketplace. The United Spinal Association developed this list of tips to help foster sensitivity toward people with disabilities: - Ask before you help. Just because someone has a disability, don't assume he or she needs help. If the setting is accessible, people with disabilities can usually get around fine. - Be sensitive about physical contact. Some people with disabilities depend on their arms for balance. Grabbing them, even if your intention is to assist, could knock them off balance. - Speak directly to a person with a disability, not to his companion, aide or sign language interpreter. - Don't make assumptions. People with disabilities are the best judge of what they can or cannot do.

Twenty years of life with the Americans with Disabilities Act has meant the continuing advent of sidewalk curb cuts, closed captioning, assistive technology in workplaces and accessible buses. A less visible, but perhaps more important, aspect of the law remains a work in progress, too.

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Much has Changed in 20 Years for People with Disabilities

"We need to do a lot of awareness raising," said Katrina Wilberding, executive director of Proudly Accessible Dubuque and a member of the Dubuque Human Rights Commission.

The act is the 1990 law that prohibits discrimination solely on the basis of disability in employment, public services and accommodation...

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