The Americans with Disabilities Act 35th Anniversary
By Attorney Lawrence Berliner July 26, 2025
“…America welcomes into the mainstream of life all of our fellow citizens with disabilities. We embrace you for your abilities and for your disabilities, for our similarities and indeed for our differences, for your past courage and your future dreams. … And now I sign legislation which takes a sledgehammer to another wall, one which has for too many generations separated Americans with disabilities from the freedom they could glimpse, but not grasp. 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.” – President George H.W. Bush
Today we acknowledge the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
On July 26,1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, the most comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities enacted to date, that mandated the removal of physical and other barriers that denied people with disabilities the right to access all aspects of American life. Arbitrary exclusions, architectural barriers, and societal attitudes towards the rights of people with disabilities all changed because this landmark legislation that promoted the inclusion of people with disabilities into the mainstream of society.
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty” is a quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson. That phrase uttered more than 200 years ago is relevant today as it was back then. Senators Weicker, Dole, Harkin, Kennedy and countless others in Congress coalesced together in a non-partisan fashion to hold public hearings that eventually led to the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, because it was the right thing to do. That was the way it was 35 years ago and that is the way it should be today. We have a responsibility to move forward. If you are not satisfied with the direction that we are headed, then contact each of your elected representatives and make your voice heard. Let’s find reasons to truly celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.