Letter Asking for Support of the ADA Restoration Act

Hopefully others will use the text below and forward to their representatives, or change the text, up to you.


As a disabled individual, looking for work and improved social involvement I am writing this letter to encourage your support for the Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act (H.R. 3195/S. 1881) to keep the promise that was done in 1990, but seems forgotten within our society and local governments.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed by President George H.W. Bush in order to give people with disabilities a chance to be judged fairly.
Unfair discrimination harms all Americans. People with disabilities want to work to their full ability and not have to turn to public assistance to live. The ADA creates a level playing field so everyone who wants a job has an equal opportunity to work.
Just as other civil rights laws prohibit employers from basing decisions on characteristics like race or sex, Congress wanted the ADA to stop employers from making decisions based on disability.
But this is NOT happening for people for people with disabilities.
The employment rate if people with disabilities has not improved.
Two-thirds of people with disabilities who do not have a job indicate they would work if they could find employment.
Courts decide against people who challenge discrimination 97% of the time, often before the person has even had a chance to show that the employer treated them unfairly.
The courts have created an absurd Catch-22 by allowing employers to say a person is “too disabled” to do the job but not “disabled enough” to be protected by the law. The case is thrown out of court and the individual is never given the chance to do the job. This is wrong!
There are other points that need much attention, such as even additional funding for creating better access and getting more disabled involved in making policies and choosing appropriate accessible tools.
The ADA Restoration Act (H.R. 3195/S. 1881) ensures the right to be judged based on performance. It restores the original intent of Congress, harmonizing the ADA with other civil rights laws and requiring the courts to interpret the law fairly.
As an individual and wishing to limit what I have to share to a minimum, hope you look deeper into supporting the ADA Restoration Act (H.R. 3195/S. 1881).