Advance what President Bush began
Signing the Americans With Disabilities Act was perhaps the greatest achievement of President George H.W. Bush’s political career. The historic moment removed barriers for millions of people with disabilities in the United States and became a model for doing so worldwide. And this group now holds incredible political sway, with more than 60 percent of the electorate now identifying itself as disabled or affiliated with the disability community.
But we’ve lost momentum in how the law is enforced and interpreted, with legislation failing to keep pace with innovation and too few people with disabilities empowered to create change.
We stand ready to change this. The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy & Innovation seeks to convene thought leaders on disability law, policy and innovation to make sure that we maximize the effect of technology and achieve the vision Bush saw when signing the ADA.
Bush was well-acquainted with the years of suffering in the disability community, and he wanted to correct it. He had a 3-year-old daughter who died of a disability and two sons with disabilities. He saw the ADA as an insurance policy for those who don’t have a disability — and protection for those who do.
“Now I sign legislation, which takes a sledgehammer to another wall, one that has for too many generations separated Americans with disabilities from the freedom they could glimpse, but not grasp,” said Bush the day he signed the ADA into law in July 1990, referencing the toppling of the Berlin Wall that had earlier occurred on his watch. “Once again, we rejoice as this barrier falls, for claiming together we will not accept, we will not excuse, we will not tolerate discrimination in America.”
In the 28 years since the passage of the ADA, it has done incredible good. Now, with advancements in science and technology, members of the disability community are able to experience more freedom than ever. But the laws governing innovation need to catch up. Technology too often leaves people behind. Employment levels for people with disabilities are too low. Depictions in the media are not always what they should be. And, of particular importance, there are too few people with disabilities in positions of power.
The disability community has grown to make up a majority of the U.S. electorate, our recently commissioned Coelho Center poll found. And many in that group are so unhappy with their representation that they were willing to cross party lines in the last election, we found. But representation has not kept pace. Bringing the resources of an entire university to bear, and fueled by the philanthropy of our supporters, the Coelho Center aims to improve the pipeline of law students with disabilities in order to increase the number of politicians and judges prepared to take the ADA to the next level.
The day he signed the ADA into law, Bush said, “This historic act is the world’s first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities — the first. Its passage has made the United States the international leader on this human rights issue.” By continuing to fight for the advancement of the rights of those with disabilities, we aim to keep it that way. Tony Coelho is a former Democratic congressman from California’s 15th District and the author of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Michael Waterstone is dean of Loyola Law School, Los Angeles and an expert in disability rights law. Both advise the Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy & Innovation. Learn more at www.lls.edu/CoelhoCenter.