Show: Marketplace Morning Report (7:50 AM ET) - SYND
July 25, 2003 Friday

Length: 612 words
Headline: Americans with Disabilities Act 13 years later
Anchors: Kai Ryssdal
Reporters: Judy Martin
Body: Kai Ryssdal, anchor:

This is Marketplace. I'm Kai Ryssdal.

Almost 12 percent of working-age people in this country, that is those from 16 to 64, have a condition that affects their ability to work. The Americans with Disabilities Act, signed 13 years ago tomorrow by President George H.W. Bush, was supposed to end workplace discrimination against the disabled. But more than da--more than a decade on, the basic employment picture hasn't changed much. From New York, Marketplace's Judy Martin reports.

Judy Martin reporting:

In a hotel lobby near the United Nations, Lex Frieden is holding court with some of the most influential disability reform lobbyists in the world. Frieden's in New York for a UN meeting on disability rights.

Mr. Lex Frieden (Executive Director, US National Council on Disability): The majority of people with disabilities should be represented on the...

Martin: Frieden is the executive director of the US National Council on Disability. He's also a quadriplegic. An assistant propels his wheelchair through this elegant reception. He was instrumental in conceiving and drafting the Americans with Disabilities Act signed by former President Bush on July 26th, 1990.

Mr. Frieden: We regard that date as our Independence Day.

Martin: The ADA guaranteed equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, employment and transportation. Frieden says the landmark law helped change the attitudes of the able-bodied.

Mr. Frieden: ADA created more access for people, therefore people were able to get out more. When people were out more, the rest of the public saw them participating, discovered that they could be an active part, full participants in this society. And therefore, the barriers towards independence that were previously caused by stereotypical attitudes have been breaking down all over the place.

Martin: But Frieden says the ADA hasn't boosted employment as much as he'd hoped. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is about the same today as it was 13 years ago. A major disability rights group reports that only 56 percent of people with disabilities who can work are employed.

Mr. Frieden: Stereotyping still exists. Just as we wish we could say that racism and sexism no longer exist, we can't say that, and we can't say that there's no discrimination based on disability either.

Martin: Brewster Thackery is an official with the National Organization on Disability. He says while many employers have opened their doors to people with disabilities, obstacles remain. Often disabled people don't have access to training, transportation to work or opportunity to prove themselves. Furthermore, Thackery adds, some employers fear their disabled workers will be absent more often, and won't work as efficiently.

Mr. Brewster Thackery (National Organization on Disability): People with disabilities who've had a tough time getting jobs, once they do get them, greatly appreciate being employed, and are highly motivated in the work force and bring a lot to their jobs.

Martin: Despite decades of evidence that workers with disabilities can be very productive. Rights advocate Lex Frieden fears they may be targets in a weak economy.

Mr. Frieden: If the economy's not growing fast enough to create jobs, then there won't be jobs for anyone, much less people with disabilities who still continue to be, perhaps, at the end of the food line.

Martin: Legislative rights is one thing, Frieden says, ensuring them is quite another. In New York, I'm Judy Martin for Marketplace.

Ryssdal: And in Los Angeles, I'm Kai Ryssdal. Thanks for being with us.