In 1990, President George Bush signed the American with Disabilities Act into law, a measure that has since been called the Emancipation Proclamation for disabled persons because it gave 43 million Americans the civil right of access to public places, employment and other boosts into mainstream society. Ten years after the law was signed, however, disabled people are still fighting battles for their rights. Even actor Clint Eastwood s Inn at Carmel is facing a similar lawsuit, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Business owners say the law is too complex and vague, but insist they want to comply.
Whatever the arguments, both sides agree the ADA is failing to increase employment for disabled Americans, one of its primary goals. Other economists say the law has contributed to the decline by making it more expensive to hire disabled workers. Burkhauser's response is that by expanding Social Security benefits and providing more and better health insurance, the trend can be reversed, the newspaper reports. Alan Reich, head of the National Organization on Disability , says the law is experiencing something akin to growing pains, much like other civil rights laws before it. Reply to this article, click here .