Celebrating 35 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act

This month, we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA represents one of the most consequential pieces of legislation for people with disabilities in the United States, which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. The ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. The ADA helps ensure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else in areas such as employment, access to public services and transportation, the purchasing of goods and services, and participation in state and local government programs.

From Protest to Policy

The road to passing the ADA was long, and the fight for it began well before 1990. People with disabilities throughout the United States challenged societal barriers and exclusion from communities and services. The disability rights movement that advanced the ADA consisted of thousands of individuals who organized protests, sent letters, drafted legislation, and much more. Without these grassroots and community-based efforts, the ADA would not exist today.

The ADA is comprised of five titles, which include:

1. Employment
2. Public Services
3. Public Accommodations
4. Telecommunications
5. Miscellaneous Provisions

The ADA’s Impact Across a Lifetime

Since its signing into law 35 years ago, the ADA has succeeded in greatly enhancing both access and quality of life for millions of Americans. When President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law in 1990, he was likely unaware at the time how much he would personally benefit from this legislation in his later years as a person using a wheelchair. If we live long enough, all of us will have one or more disabilities at some point in our lives. The ADA does not just benefit a select few; it benefits all of us directly or indirectly at various points in our lives.

It’s important to recognize how the ADA intersects with other key federal legislation, especially the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). While the ADA addresses civil rights and public access broadly, IDEA focuses specifically on ensuring that children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment. Together, these laws work hand in hand to support access and participation from early childhood through adulthood—across schools, workplaces, digital spaces, and beyond. The ADA complements the educational access and protections established by IDEA, helping ensure that students with disabilities can successfully transition into postsecondary opportunities and active civic life.

Digital Access and the Future of the ADA

It is worth noting that the Internet only came into existence approximately six months after the ADA was signed into law. In April of 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized the rule updating Title II of the ADA that requires websites and mobile apps to be made accessible. This update marks the first time in the history of the ADA that a technical standard related to digital accessibility has been referenced.

Much like how curb cuts in sidewalks benefit a wide range of people – those using wheelchairs and mobility aids, as well as parents with strollers, delivery workers, and others – the digital accessibility standards based on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) serve as an equivalent “curb cut” for the online world. They don’t just improve digital access for individuals with disabilities; they enhance usability and access for everyone.

The ADA, with its outward-facing ‘letter of the law,’ represents more than just a series of regulations. The ‘spirit’ and history of the ADA’s evolution and existence draw from a collective voice of people who have fought long and hard for a culture of dignity, autonomy, and full participation by and for people with disabilities, throughout the country.