2020 Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In my beginning years of advocacy practice, the majority of clients I helped were those who had disabilities involved in divorce and post-judgment proceedings.
The next trend I saw through my non profit work was website accessibility - this was a nationwide increase in private and litigation complaints against organizations whose websites were inaccessible to persons with visual and mobility disabilities.
In 2017-2019 clients were seeking accommodations where they lived - whether an apartment or residential home. Co-op and Condominium boards are frequently populated with well meaning non lawyers who are not aware of the need to provide accommodations for those with physical disabilities but also with invisible disabilities.
In the era of COVID I am hearing from people who are going back to work who never knew that reasonable accommodations were available to them, but through the employers duty to offer accommodations were made aware their work could be accommodated if they had a qualifying disabiity and the accommodation did not substantially change what they were hired to do.
2020 has also brought more exposure to the Americans with Disabilities Act in major news outlets celebrating its 30th Anniversary outlining the law's successes and challenges.
As a full time professor and Program Director of Legal Studies at a New York College, it is my firm belief that students who have grown up receiving accommodations for their disabilities through high school are now bursting through the 'stigma' and advocating for themselves by utilizing their college's accessibility offices to continue their college or post graduate education.
This promising student population is joining the workplace with the same empowerment to take on jobs and careers and promote an abilist culture in our nation's workplaces.
No matter what year it is work still needs to be done to ensure the rights offered to you under the Americans with Disabilities Act are complied with.
If you or a family member are not receiving the accommodations you believe you deserve, please reach out to me.
Thank you and my best wishes for a safe year.
Donna Drumm Attorney licensed to practice in NY and Americans with Disabilities Advocate