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US Leaders Mark 20th Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act

   VOA News 26 July 2010
   Sen.  Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, right, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
   of Maryland, attend an event on Capitol Hill in Washington 26 Jul 2010
   to celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act

Photo: AP

   Sen.  Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, right, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
   of  Md.,  attend an event on Capitol Hill in Washington 26 Jul 2010 to
   celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act

   U.S.  President  Barack Obama and U.S. lawmakers are commemorating the
   20th  anniversary  of  the Americans With Disabilities Act, a sweeping
   civil  rights  law  that  calls  for  equal opportunity for those with
   mental and physical disabilities.
   The law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, and
   regulates   federal   and   local   programs,  transportation,  public
   accommodations and commercial facilities.  President George H.W. Bush
   signed the legislation into law on July 26, 1990. Â
   Its requirements include architectural upgrades such as braille signs,
   ramps,  handicap-accessible  automatic  doors  and  designated parking
   spaces. Â
   The  law  mandates  equal  access  for  disabled  people  in  jobs and
   government programs, and in public spaces such as shopping centers and
   movie theaters. Â
   The  speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is marking
   the   occasion   Monday   afternoon,   and  that  evening,  Mr.  Obama
   commemorates the law with a White House event.

   [Some information for this report provided by AP.]

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