ADA Act

Since the early 20th century, many people with disabilities and chronic mental health conditions were not treated equally. While public policy began to shift in the mid-1900s, it was not until the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990 that disability rights dramatically changed.

On this day 23 years ago, the Supreme Court affirmed the rights of people with disabilities to live where they want to live, including community-based housing. This ruling came from Olmstead v. L.C.  (Olmstead) which declared that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), people with disabilities cannot be unnecessarily segregated and must receive services in the most integrated setting possible.

It may be hard to believe now, but not all that long ago, businesses without ramps and housing without lifts were the norm in America. Many people with disabilities had to go about their days without any assurances of where they could go or what they could do. People with disabilities living in America were missing out on life and facing obstacles every day. Inaccessibility reigned supreme. But then, a giant leap forward.