Honoring ADA30: Access, Opportunity, and a Special Anniversary
Every year, the month of July brings an essential milestone in our nation's history-the anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This year, the occasion is especially momentous as we mark the law's 30th anniversary with a public, yearlong commemoration.
Signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush, the ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities across community life, including employment. It was landmark legislation then, and it remains so today, as it protects the rights of people with disabilities and ensures a more inclusive and productive America, for all of us.
In honor of the anniversary, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy launched an ADA 30th anniversary website, which features a timeline of advancements in disability and employment since the ADA's passage. It also features a list of ways for businesses and organizations of all sizes to support the anniversary. Examples include issuing a press release expressing your organization's commitment to the ADA, featuring the anniversary on your company website and social media platforms, and conducting employee training on disability inclusion.
This year's ADA anniversary festivities go hand in hand with another upcoming milestone-the 75th annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) this October, which shares the ADA 30th anniversary theme of "Increasing Access and Opportunity." The official 2020 NDEAM poster features that theme and is available for download in English and Spanish or mail order at no cost.
Ensuring that all people who want to work can work, the ADA is an affirmation of our nation's founding ideals and a key to ensuring a fully inclusive American workforce and economy. By marking ADA 30th anniversary as a crucial milestone, employers of all sizes can help demonstrate a commitment to delivering on the ADA's promise today and for the next 30 years and beyond.