The year 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This landmark legislation provides important protections for people who live with disabilities. One of the most memorable direct actions that led to its passage was the Capitol Crawl. Californians may know that in the demonstration, physically disabled people shed their wheelchairs and crutches and pulled themselves up the steps of the capitol building.
After disabled people made their challenges more visible to the politicians in the U.S. Senate, they got more support in passing the law to make a change. The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t just address physical accessibility; it also establishes the fact that it’s illegal to discriminate against disabled people in the areas of employment, public entities and public accommodations.
At first, many institutions opposed the ADA. The arguments were that the new law would make it prohibitively expensive for small businesses to operate. Bus companies insisted that it would be too expensive to adapt and that vulnerable people would lose access to transportation. With time, all of these doom-and-gloom predictions have been proven false.
Thanks to ever-improving innovations like the UpLift from Lexia Solutions, accessibility is always getting better. Devices like the UpLift make it easier for people who rely on wheelchairs to enter buildings without assistance. The UpLift takes up less space than a ramp. It’s simple to use and portable, and it can be easily stored when it’s not needed. The device can be moved and operated by just one person.
With efficient and cost-effective solutions for accessibility, businesses and public buildings have no excuse to flout ADA compliance law. A legal professional who’s knowledgeable about ADA accessibility may help businesses find affordable solutions that can help them avoid costly lawsuits and improve the quality of life for disabled people in the community.