June 24 is National Call-In Day for the ADA Amendments Act of 2008!
***ACTION ALERT!
Tomorrow is NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY for the ADA Amendments Act. Thousands of advocates all across the country representing all kinds of disabilities will be calling their representatives to tell them to support the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. You can help!
Last week, the House Judiciary and Education and Labor Committees overwhelmingly passed the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (formerly known as the ADA Restoration Act).
Although nothing has been confirmed, the bill could be going to the House floor for a vote as early as Wednesday of this week, so it's important that Members hear from us ASAP! We need your help to make sure the bill becomes law.
The
ADA Amendments Act will reverse judicial decisions that permit job
discrimination against people with all kinds of disabilities. The bill
enjoys the support of over 60 national disability groups, including
AAPD, as well as experts in the disability community, business and
employer groups, and Members of Congress.
We need your help! Our goal is to have the ADA Amendments Act passed by the entire House of Representatives with no amendments.
You can help by calling your Representative on Tuesday, June 24 with the following message:
- "I am calling to express my strong support for the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 <as a person with a disability or as a family member of a person with a disability>. This bill would protect people like <me or my family member> and is supported by the disability and business communities. I urge you to vote in favor of the bill without any amendments and without a motion to recommit!"
You can reach your Representative through the Capitol Switchboard at:
(202) 224-3091 (TTY)
Additional background information is available below.
Background:
The
Americans with Disabilities Act has transformed the nation since its
enactment in 1990. The ADA was intended to protect people with
disabilities from discrimination at work and in public life.
Unfortunately,
court decisions over the last decade have excluded individuals who
should have been covered under the ADA. These judicial restrictions
block people with conditions including epilepsy, diabetes, multiple
sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, intellectual disabilities, cancer, heart
disease, and bipolar disorder from seeking protections against
employment discrimination under the ADA.
The ADA Amendments Act
of 2008 will re-establish these protections. This legislation is
supported by over 60 national disability organizations - including AAPD
- and many key business associations such as the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Society for
Human Resource Management, and the HR Policy Association.
The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 will:
- Amend the current Americans with Disabilities Act so that the effects of "mitigating measures" such as medications, hearing aids, and prosthetics, could not be used in determining whether an individual is disabled.
- Make it clear that Congress intended the ADA's coverage to be broad, to cover anyone who faces unfair discrimination because of a disability.
- Clarify the current requirement that an impairment substantially limits a major life activity in order to be considered a disability. The legislation provides a reasonable standard that will give clarity to employers and access to protections from unlawful discrimination for people with disabilities.
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