Business owners complain that they have to make their buildings accessible even when those buildings are never used by disabled individuals. Other critics of the ADA contend that the law is draining administrative and legal resources. In the first three years following the effective date of the ADA's employment provisions, the EEOC reported a 25 percent increase in its workload owing to ADA-related complaints. About 20 percent of those complaints were found to be without merit. By the early 1990s, the act had done little to improve the employment rate for those with disabilities.
More recent figures indicate that employment and opportunities for disabled persons are on the rise.
Some legal commentators argue that the act is new and is evolving. As courts interpret the law and Congress fine-tunes it, the ADA's benefits will become clearer. Businesses have found a new market, and new technology developed to help those with disabilities often helps the nondisabled as well. See also acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Articles from West's Encyclopedia of American Law are published on West Legal Directory with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional advice.