Friday, February 16, 2018

'Shame': 12 Democrats Join With House GOP to Attack Americans With Disabilities Act

Thursday, February 15, 2018

'Shame': 12 Democrats Join With House GOP to Attack Americans With Disabilities Act

"I want us to remember there's a distinct set of people who made this happen. Lobbyists for shopping malls and hotels and their money. Plus, of course, the reps who wanted that money."


Disability rights advocates have opposed a U.S. House bill, passed Thursday, which would weaken the Americans with Disabilities Act. (Photo: Emily Ladau/Twitter)

  In a "shameful" move that disability rights advocates say "further marginalizes one of the most excluded communities in society," a dozen Democrats joined with House Republicans on Thursday to pass a bill that would erode key protections for Americans with disabilities.
"Congress should be making it easier, not more difficult, for people with disabilities to lead independent lives."
—Vanita Gupta, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

  The legislation, which now advances to the Senate, would create a "notice and cure" requirement before any legal action could be taken against a business on the grounds that it has failed to comply with federal standards established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) nearly three decades ago.

  In other words, before filing a lawsuit, people with disabilities would have to notify a business in writing of an accessibility violation, then wait six months to see if it had made "substantial progress" toward becoming compliant.

  The measure was fiercely opposed by disability rights advocates. The grassroots group ADAPT said at least 17 protesters were arrested in the House today. Many other opponents turned to Twitter to denounce the bill and shame the "lobbyists for shopping malls and hotels" who have pushed for it, as well as House lawmakers who voted in favor of it:

I want us to remember there's a distinct set of people who made this happen. Lobbyists for shopping malls and hotels and their money. Plus, of course, the reps who wanted that money. https://twitter.com/Lollardfish/status/964195481307017217 


The vote for #HR620 passed 225 to 192.
Want to know who voted FOR and AGAINST #HR620?
Which Reps DIDN'T EVEN VOTE?
Here's the list: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2018/roll080.xml 
Print it out. Remember who voted how this November. #HandsOffMyADA #StopHR620 #RevUp #CripTheVote

Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, warned that if passed by the Senate, this bill "would lead to the continued exclusion of people with disabilities from the mainstream of society," and concluded, "Congress should be making it easier, not more difficult, for people with disabilities to lead independent lives."

  The bill was also denounced by members of Congress with disabilities. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), the first quadriplegic to serve in the House, gave an impassioned speech in which he warned, "this ill-considered bill will not only decimate the protections that people with disabilities rely on, it would turn back the clock to a more segregated society."
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a veteran who lost (pdf) both legs and partial use of an arm after her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Iraq, explained in a series of tweets how the legislation would impact people with disabilities.

THREAD on #HR620

Ever since I lost my legs when an RPG tore thru the cockpit of my Blackhawk I was flying over Iraq, getting around has been difficult—even w/the #ADA, I can’t always enter public spaces & have to spend a lot of time planning how to get frm 1 place to the next

Supporters of #HR620 don’t deny that they’re violating the law—they just resent being sued for “minor” #ADA infractions. But an incline that is “only” a few degrees too steep, or an entrance that is “only” a few inches high, can determine if I’m able to access an area w/out help

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
KEEP INDEPENDENT MEDIA STRONG
Common Dreams has been bringing the progressive community the news that matters for over 20 years. We rely on support from thousands of small contributors to keep publishing. More people are reading Common Dreams than ever before but the number of readers contributing has remained flat. If everyone reading this gave $15 right now, we would start 2018 strong.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs




No comments: