The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights act, not an employment act. Karl Petzold currently has a suit pending. He has Tourette's Syndrome, and it cost him his job as a clerk bagging groceries at the local Farmer Jack store. His lawyer, Michael Cutler, says that Petzold is a hard working man and the ADA should protect him. The purpose of the act is to give people like Karl Petzold the job.
Critics say the sweeping language of the law has made it tempting to abuse.
Chris Bell is a critic. He's a blind man who helped write the ADA in the 1980s, and now makes his living defending employers against ADA claims. In the ADA's history, there have been many attempts to test its limits. They've ranged from a blind woman who wanted to work as a prison guard to a person allergic to perfume who wanted the right to work at home. This abuse of the ADA may deprive some disabled people of job opportunities.