Able News Column July 2025 – Bringing the Americans with Disabilities Act to Life
On the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I have extreme reverence for the disability community’s trailblazers who came before me and fire in my belly for the continued and necessary fight ahead. In honor of this momentous anniversary, I want to share with you the scale and scope of the work of Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) over the last three decades that has brought the ADA to life. And I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight the work that lies ahead—work that is critical if we are to ever fully realize the vision of the ADA.
When the ADA was signed into law in 1990, it promised equal opportunity, accessibility, reasonable accommodations, and protection against discrimination for the disability community. But these promises were theoretical. As with any law, in order for those promises to become reality, the law needed to be applied and interpreted by courts through litigation. In 1993, DRA was founded as a nonprofit legal center to be the litigation arm of the disability rights movement—using this brave new law to break down systemic barriers and protect the civil rights of millions of Americans with disabilities across the country. And wow, has DRA had an impact. Here’s a sampling of DRA’s precedent-setting legal work in the last 30-plus years.
Education—Guckenberger v. Boston University (1997): DRA’s seminal lawsuit improved accommodations for students with learning disabilities at Boston University and established a legal precedent for universities nationwide.
Employment—Bates v. United Parcel Service (UPS) (2002): DRA secured a precedent-setting legal victory for deaf UPS employees ensuring protections against discriminatory job eligibility criteria.
Transportation—Barden v. City of Sacramento (2004): DRA’s inaugural sidewalk case expanded coverage of the ADA to encompass pedestrian routes in Sacramento—providing access to sidewalks for millions in California’s state capital.
Technology—National Federation of the Blind v. Target (2009): DRA secured the first precedent nationwide applying the protections of the ADA to a retailer’s website, resulting in making Target’s website accessible for blind patrons and paving the way for a more accessible internet shopping experience across the web.
Voting—California Council of the Blind v. County of Alameda (2013): DRA compelled Alameda County in California to ensure that voters who are blind or have vision disabilities can vote privately and independently, the first such ruling in the country that set the stage for further litigation in the fight for voting rights for the blind community.
Emergency Preparedness—Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled v. Bloomberg (2014): In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, DRA compelled the City of New York to create the most comprehensive disaster preparedness plan in the country, protecting more than 900,000 people with disabilities. This plan serves as a model for life-saving emergency plans across the country.
Juvenile Justice—T.G. v. Kern County (2020): DRA reached an agreement to end discrimination against youth with disabilities incarcerated in Kern County, CA—ensuring that they are provided with accommodations and given equal access to educational and rehabilitative programs and services.
Even with all these wins, it’s important to remember that the law is never static, just as society is not static. At this moment in history, we should be proud of the jurisprudential foundation we have built by enforcing the ADA and other civil rights laws. But we cannot rest on our laurels.
We are facing new and increasing natural disasters, an unprecedented pace of technological change, an increased need for robust healthcare, a crisis in education—and that is just the tip of the iceberg. People with disabilities are far too often an afterthought, or the first to be left behind. DRA is here to continue fighting for the rights of our community and setting legal precedents to meet this moment. And we’re here to build upon the cases that we’ve already won to ensure that every American with a disability across the country can participate fully and equally in society.
If you want to read more about DRA’s impactful history, please visit DRA’s timeline. If you want to join DRA’s continued fight for disability rights, visit our website to sign up for our e-newsletter, or follow us on social media. This movement requires constant vigilance, endurance, creativity, and so much more. And we’re grateful for the role that each and every one of you Able News readers plays. DRA is here for the big work ahead, no matter how challenging it may be. Onward to the next 35 years and beyond!