Equality of Opportunity: The Making of the Americans with Disabilities Act

In Closing

Now is the time to preserve a record about the creation and passage of this historic, landmark legislation. We view the present and look to the future based on our cumulative experiences. As we look toward the continued development of disability policy, we must have a firm grasp on how we have reached this point. This is especially important for those who were not direct participants in the ADA’s passage and for the next generation that is growing up in an America transformed by the ADA. Because disability is usually not passed on from generation to generation, there is not a natural cultural transference about disability. NCD recognizes the crucial role of the past and the need to build our own history as we march into the future. Therefore, we made a commitment to providing a thorough analysis of the ADA’s history. Other histories will and must be written, but this one sets the stage.

The National Council on Disability and the National Rehabilitation Hospital Research Center are pleased to make Equality of Opportunity, by Jonathan M. Young, available to the public. We believe it is a work in which the disability community and the public policy-making community can take great pride.

Marca Bristo
Chairperson,
National Council on Disability

Gerben DeJong
Director,
NRH Research Center