As a result of the ADA, we have come to terms with doing things for ourselves. He derides the doomsday predictions of his former colleagues. Some critics, even reputable ones, still claim the law is backfiring. One study by two prominent Massachusetts Institute of Technology economists claims that the costs have been so high to employers that it has resulted in hiring fewer, not more, disabled Americans. But rival studies by the Census Bureau, the President's Commission on Disabilities and by Peter Blanck, a University of Iowa law-school professor who specializes in this field, come to a contrary conclusion.
Anecdotal evidence suggests they are right.
Professor Blanck notes that most firms have found that ADA is much easier to conform to than initially suspected. And companies only have to conform to ADA's requirements if it won't cause an undue expense or burden. Companies such as Sears, Manpower Inc., Spring and Hewlett Packard have been at the forefront of making changes and say the ADA has not only not caused economic hardship but is generating a more productive and profitable workforce. There has been some frivolous litigation. For example, there are more than a handful of complaints, under the ADA umbrella, pertaining to unspecified back injuries.