Recognizing the importance of independent living for individuals with disabilities made possible by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and calling for further action to strengthen home and community living for individuals with disabilities.

Recognizing the importance of independent living for individuals with disabilities made possible by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and calling for further action to strengthen home and community living for individuals with disabilities. Whereas, in enacting the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq. historically, society has tended to isolate and segregate individuals with disabilities, and, despite some improvements, such forms of discrimination against individuals with disabilities continue to be a serious and pervasive social problem Whereas the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 recognizes the rights of individuals with disabilities to fully participate in their communities through independent living, equality of opportunity, and economic self-sufficiency; Whereas 32 years after the date of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and 23 years after the date of the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999), many individuals with disabilities continue to live in segregated institutional settings because of a lack of support services; Whereas the continuation of segregated institutional settings has hindered the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in communities, schools, and workplaces, undermining the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; Whereas individuals with disabilities living in institutional and long-term care settings have endured disproportionate rates of infection and death during the COVID19 pandemic; Whereas individuals of color with disabilities have been disparately affected by the COVID19 pandemic; Whereas individuals of color with disabilities experience disproportionately greater barriers to high quality and accessible healthcare, education, and employment opportunities, infringing on their right to fully participate in their communities under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and Whereas 32 years after the date of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (1) women with disabilities continue to regularly face barriers to reproductive healthcare, including inaccessible and inequitable services; (2) individuals with disabilities continue to face higher rates of unemployment and barriers to accessible workplaces and lack equitable access to competitive integrated employment opportunities; (3) nearly a quarter of the population of individuals with disabilities live below the poverty line; (4) some telecommunication, electronic, and information technologies continue to be developed without the goal of making those technologies fully accessible for all people of the United States; and (5) many businesses, public and private organizations, transportation systems, and services remain inaccessible to many individuals with disabilities: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate (1) recognizes the importance of independent living for individuals with disabilities made possible by the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq. (2) encourages the people of the United States to celebrate the advancement of inclusion and equality of opportunity made possible by the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; (3) pledges to continue to work on a bipartisan basis to identify and address the remaining barriers that undermine the national goals of equality of opportunity, independent living, economic self-sufficiency, and full participation for individuals with disabilities, including by focusing on individuals with disabilities that remain segregated in institutions; (4) pledges to work with States to improve access to home and community based services for individuals with disabilities; (5) calls on the Department of Labor to develop policies and practices and provide technical assistance that enable individuals with disabilities to become economically self-sufficient; (6) calls on the Department of Health and Human Services to provide information, resources, and technical assistance related to home and community based services and to enable individuals with disabilities to live independently; (7) calls on the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide accessible and inclusive homes and communities that increase the options available for accessible, inclusive, and equitable housing for individuals with disabilities; and (8) calls on the Department of Transportation to create accessible transit and airports and increase the hiring, promotion, and retention of individuals with disabilities in the transportation workforce.

Summary: This resolution (1) recognizes the importance of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 in advancing independent living for individuals with disabilities; (2) pledges continued efforts to address remaining barriers for individuals with disabilities; and (3) calls on federal agencies to provide additional resources for individuals with disabilities with respect to economic self-sufficiency, community-based services, housing, and transportation.