Into the Private Sector Rights and People with Disabilities

Until late 1988, American social policy proscribed discrimina-tion against people with disabilities only in the public (government or government-assisted) sector of the economy. Title V of the 1973 Rehabilita-tion Act (PL 93-112), for example, regulated employment practices in fed-eral agencies, federal contractors, and entities receiving federal financial assistance. The Americans with Disabilities Act (S.933 and H.R.2273, pending), however, reaches deep into the private sector and builds upon the precedent set by the 1988 Fair Housing Amendments Act (PL 100-430). In this article, the major provisions of the ADA are outlined and rationales are offered for the choices made in shaping the legislation; the focus is upon the Senate because the House had not completed action at press time. The bill represents a growing consensus by Republicans as well as Democrats that private-sector regulation is essential if people with disabilities are to gain access to telecommunications, places of public accommodation, trans