Just thought you all would like to see this...

-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Justice For All Moderator
Sent: Monday, July 05, 2004 10:43 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: USA Today Article on Impact of ADA

"USA Today Article on Impact of ADA"

Rayna Aylward <[log in to unmask]> of the
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation writes:

As we head off to celebrate the nation's legacy of freedom,
we cannot ignore the continuing constraints on the
independence and aspirations of the 20% of our population
who have disabilities. Fourteen years after passage of the
ADA, there is growing pessimism among people with
disabilities about their chances for a better life.
However, as noted by Andy Imparato, CEO of the American
Association of People with Disabilities, the glum outlook
could be due in part to ignorance of what the ADA is and
has achieved as well as to the generally more pessimistic
mood in the nation. An article from USA Today [text
follows] reports on the results of a recent NOD survey and
their implications.

Wishing you a Happy 4th of July, and hoping for the day
when we can celebrate Independence for All --

Rayna Aylward
Executive Director
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation
[log in to unmask]
www.meaf.org

============================================

Survey finds the ADA hasn't improved lives
By Jack Gillum, USA TODAY

Despite the protections of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, which was designed to make their lives easier, there
is growing pessimism among the disabled, suggests a new
survey by an advocacy group.

Increasing numbers don't expect their lives to improve, the
survey shows, and many believe that their disability
prevents them from reaching their full capacity in life.

"Imagine living your life thinking that your future will
never get better," says Mary Dolan, vice president of the
National Organization on Disability, the survey sponsor.

The organization isn't pushing specific remedies but is
calling for greater understanding of the difficulties faced
by people with disabilities. "We're asking for Congress,
the media and policy makers to look at these numbers
and take them to heart," she says.

About 50 million Americans live with some disability, the
U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2003. The new survey,
conducted by research group Harris Interactive, tallied
responses from more than 2,000 phone and online interviews.
Margin of error is 3 percentage points.

Among findings:

* 41% of disabled respondents said they didn't expect their
quality of life to improve, up from 35% in 2000.

* 64% said the Americans with Disabilities Act has made no
difference in their lives, up from 58% in 2000.

But that could stem from ignorance of ADA legislation, says
Andy Imparato, a lawyer with the American Association of
People with Disabilities. Some Americans, he says, "have no
clue about what the ADA is or what it's done."

Without the act, signed into law by the first President
Bush in 1990, there would be no accessible buses, he says.
Or no Braille signs or mandated wheelchair ramps.

Sarah Burke, an office assistant at a Denver brokerage
firm, has used a wheelchair since she was 17. She says the
ADA has improved her life, but she believes that sometimes
disability statutes aren't executed properly.

She recalls times when a ramp was too steep or too narrow
for her chair. "I would tip over backwards on a lot of
them."

She believes she has been denied promotions because of her
disability and says it's hard to change jobs at 56. "If I
went into 5 million places and if they saw me in a
wheelchair, they'd probably say 'no,'" she says.

"I don't expect any special favors. I want to be treated
like everyone else."

Others say there is a need to better understand the laws in
place. At 45 and blind from diabetes, Bill McMahon of
Framingham, Mass., say he is frustrated when he sifts
through ADA literature. Regulation booklets that are
"inches thick" make it hard for people to understand the
rights of the disabled.

"The majority of Americans want something as quick and easy
as possible" to look at, McMahon says.

The sour numbers in the survey also are reflective of
today's economics; many disabled people are living in
poverty, Imparato says.

Peopld don't think much about the disabled these days when
terrorism and the Iraq war weigh on people's minds: "In
general, America is less secure, less optimistic," he says.

Jeff Rosen, policy director for the government's National
Council on Disability, would like to see better
coordination among federal services but points to ADA's
successes since its inception 14 years ago. "We're seeing
the evolution of people with disabilities," he says. "We've
just started our journey."

It's a top-down approach of legislation and understanding,
advocates say. "There's much work to be done," Dolan says.
"On a daily basis, people with disabilities are not
fulfilling their potential. That's something we take
very seriously."

# # #

=====================

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