NCD #05–488
April 29, 2005
Contact: Mark S. Quigley
202-272-2004
202-272-2074 TTY
mquigley@ncd.gov

National Council on Disability Seeks Americans with Disabilities Act Impact Testimony

WASHINGTON--The National Council on Disability (NCD) is collecting written testimony from people with disabilities, their families, and their advocates on the impact the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 has had on their lives.

NCD is an independent federal agency charged with making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for all Americans with disabilities and their families. In 1986, NCD first proposed and then drafted the original Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA was hailed as a major civil rights law guaranteeing equal opportunity for Americans with disabilities to participate more fully in their communities, to have greater access to goods and services, and to enjoy more employment opportunities. Testimony is sought regarding the extent to which the ADA has achieved its goals of equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. The information received will be added to a body of data currently being assembled from a variety of sources to be analyzed and transmitted to the President and Congress in a report to be published in fall 2005.

Testimony is sought regarding:

Telecommunications: Has the ADA had an impact on the ability of people who have hearing and/or speech impairments to communicate by telephone?

Employment: Has the ADA improved employment opportunities and job retention for people with disabilities?

Public Services: Are goods and services provided by local and state agencies more accessible to people with disabilities because of the ADA?

Public Accommodations Operated by Private Entities: Are goods and services provided by businesses more accessible to people with disabilities because of the ADA?

General comments on the ADA

Please send written comments on or before May 15, 2005, to Julie Carroll, National Council on Disability, 1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004 or jcarroll@ncd.gov.

For more information, contact Mark Quigley or Julie Carroll at 202-272-2004.

Note: To subscribe to the National Council on Disability’s new listserv, go to http://listserv.access.gpo.gov/, click on “Online mailing list archives,” select NCD-NEWS-L, and complete the short subscription form.