Americans with Disabilities Act: The History, the Meaning, and the Future?

As I write this, I am sitting in my brother’s hospital room while he sleeps. David has intellectual disabilities, mental health issues, some physical limitations, and in the last few years, he has developed dementia and cardiac issues. It’s obvious I have a dog in the fight for disability rights, and I have a well-founded fear that the Americans with Disabilities Act is under threat.

Call me a bleeding-heart liberal, but I have this wild idea that everyone, including those with disabilities, should have the same rights and opportunities. That’s what the Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, guarantees. The ADA has been beneficial to people with disabilities, providing equal rights in the workplace and education, and accessibility in public places. Those civil rights are now under threat. Some of the concerns are the Supreme Court not hearing cases of discrimination and the current administration not enforcing the ADA. Most significantly, the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” is taking away services that are essential to quality of life and sometimes a critical lifeline for people with disabilities. Most of the massive Medicaid cuts are scheduled to begin in 2027 and will drastically cut services to many of the 15 million Americans who depend on Medicaid for medical care, institutional care, and in-home and community-based services. Medicaid is the primary source of funding for disability services in this country.

I have heard some people argue that families should step up and pay for these services. Based on what services my brother needs and currently receives through Medicaid, I would have to be in the top 1% to afford his care. Most people with disabilities depend on Medicaid for assistance. The sentiments I hear repeatedly in the community of caregivers and families are ones of deep concern for the future of their loved ones. How will people with disabilities afford medical equipment, medications, assistance with daily living tasks, and basic life-sustaining medical care?

How can a country be considered successful if there is no empathy for the most vulnerable citizens? My favorite quote about this is usually attributed to Gandhi: “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” There is so much truth in that statement.

It’s a well-known fact that Hitler and his regime were responsible for the deaths of millions of people during WWII, but did you know that people with disabilities were targeted by the Nazis? At least 300,000 adults and children with disabilities were euthanized, an atrocity that shocked the world. No one is suggesting that in the U.S, yet without the lifeline of Medicaid, there is no denying there will be lives lost.

The United States has a shameful past with disabilities, ranging from forced sterilizations for women with intellectual disabilities to the Ugly Laws prohibiting people with disabilities from appearing in public. With the passage of the ADA, there was progress being made in laws and attitudes until recently. The fight for disability rights is not over.

While I want to celebrate July 26 as the 36^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the victory appears shaky. What can we do? Continue to speak out for the rights of people with disabilities, support advocacy groups such as The Arc of Oklahoma, contact your lawmakers about the dangers of Medicaid cuts, and before you vote, ensure that you are voting for people who believe in equal rights for all. Do it for me, do it for my brother, do it for fairness and equality for all.

My brother deserves equal rights!