University recognizes 35 years of ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act provides protection from discrimination for individuals with disabilities, extending civil rights protection to employment, transportation, public accommodations, and more.
Editor's note: This story has been updated for clarity.
For 35 years this month, the landmark federal civil rights law, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, has protected people with disabilities from all forms of discrimination in the United States.
Imagine riding a bus or train and being forced to abandon the chair needed for transportation. Or if you wanted to have lunch with your family at a local restaurant, the staff could refuse to serve you because of your disability. That was the reality for millions of people before the passing of ADA.
Today, Virginia Tech is committed to equal employment and education opportunity for individuals with disabilities and complies with the ADA as amended; the Rehabilitation Act, as amended; and other state and local laws that apply to individuals with disabilities.
As a unit within Virginia Tech’s Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education, ADA and Accessibility Services guides and directs institutional compliance with the ADA. In this capacity, the unit authorizes reasonable accommodations per University Policy 4075 for qualified employees with disabilities; provides oversight of the employment accommodation process and physical, digital, and programmatic accessibility for employees, students, and visitors; offers protection from discrimination for individuals on the basis of disability; and extends civil rights protection for people with disabilities.
“Our ADA team provides expertise in the areas of accessibility across our campus architecture, digital platforms, and the accommodations processes,” said Joe Cooley, ADA campus accessibility architect. “We do this by responding to complaints or requests that come to our office, but our strategic goals are for something bigger. We want accessibility at Virginia Tech to be something that doesn’t have to be requested, where it’s not an afterthought or an add-on but something that is included in the design principles from the start as a civil right and a measure of institutional integrity.”
The original version of the ADA was introduced by Sen. Lowell P. Weicker Jr., laying the foundation for its passage in 1990. Modeled after the Civil Rights Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law on July 26, 1990. The collective efforts of decades of advocacy allowed for the most comprehensive disability rights legislation in history.
"The ADA set a standard and overall, has transformed our culture,” said Kelly Oaks, associate vice president for civil rights and prevention education. “This monumental legislation has allowed Virginia Tech to fulfill the promise of equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities.”
Learn more about how the Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education is working to make Virginia Tech an environment free from discrimination and harassment for people with disabilities. Learn more about the law at ADA.gov.
Fast facts
- Since 2000, 181 countries have passed disability civil rights laws inspired by the ADA.
- The ADA consists of five titles, including Title I (employment); Title II (state and local government activities); Title III (private businesses or public accommodations); Title IV (telephone and TV access); and Title V (miscellaneous provisions)
