Dreams Deferred: Disability Definitions, Data, Models, and Perspectives

When Ed Roberts, who had polio, forged new ground for people with disabilities by developing the first Center for Independent Living in 1972, the stage was set for people with disabilities and advocates to join together in a new civil rights movement. \u27Invisible\u27 no more, the disability community started what was expected to be a stratospheric leap into community inclusion. There was substantial hope held in the anticipated impact of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 (P.L. 101-336, 104 statute 327). For millions of Americans, it appeared that the ADA would provide avenues for increased economic parity and workforce participation. Unfortunately, almost 20 years later, people with disabilities have not made the much anticipated strides in employment; and attitudinal barriers continue to lock people with disabilities into a separate and unequal subpopulation