Senate ADA Amendments Act Introduced with 57 Co-Sponsors

ADAWatch.org
National Coalition for Disability Rights
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Senators Harkin and Hatch have introduced the ADA Amendments Act - S. 3406 - with 57 original cosponsors!

While we will have to work hard to gain even more support in the Senate, ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR) thanks the state and local organizers and thousands of grassroots supporters who took part in our Road To Freedom bus stop events to support restoration of the ADA; signed our petition; attracted widespread media attention to the need for restoration; and utilized our ADA Restoration Action Center to send thousands of messages calling on Congress to respond to the narrowing of the ADA in the courts.

While there is more that we will have to do next year to restore the ADA, we fully support passage of the ADA Amendments Act.

The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 will restore the civil rights of people with disabilities by:

• Specifically rejecting restrictive interpretations by the Supreme Court that have reduced theprotections for people with disabilities under the ADA

• Directing that the definition of "disability" must be construed broadly, to cover anyone who is discriminated against on the basis of disability.

• Clarifying the definition of disability, to more clearly prohibit discrimination against people with physical or mental impairments.

• Prohibiting consideration of an individual's ability to mitigate the effect of a disability (e.g., by taking medications) in determining whether she is eligible for protection from discrimination.

• Covering individuals who experience discrimination based on a perception that they have an impairment regardless of whether they have a disability.

Here is the list of original co-sponsors of the Senate ADA Amendments Act:

Harkin, Hatch, Kennedy, Enzi, Specter, Obama, McCain, Dodd, Dole, Gregg, Clinton, Alexander, Johnson, Roberts, Kerry, Coleman, Feingold, Snowe, Leahy, Burr, Brown, Smith, Durbin, Murkowski, Lautenberg, Warner, Sanders, Brownback, Reed, Martinez, Mikulski, Isakson, Casey, Craig, Murray, Bennett, Landrieu, Collins, Biden, Allard, Nelson, Sununu, Cardin, Thune, Levin, Barrasso, McCaskill, Crapo, Schumer, Stevens, Salazar, Voinovich, Tester, Cochran, Reid, Luger, Chambliss.

If both of your senators are not on this list, contact them and ask them to support the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. If one or both of your senators are co-sponsors, call them and thank them for supporting the civil rights of people with disabilities.