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WHEREAS, July 26, 2020, marks the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), passed by the Congress of the United States and signed into law by President George Herbert Walker Bush; and
WHEREAS, the ADA has been among the most impactful and salient civil rights laws passed by the United States Congress, and served as a model for disability rights in other countries; and
WHEREAS, prior to the ADA, intolerance, misunderstanding, ignorance, and unfair, unjust, and inaccurate stereotypes too often prohibited the full participation of individuals with disabilities in society; and
WHEREAS, the unyielding dedication of passionate and courageous disability rights advocates made it indelibly clear to the people of the country and lawmakers in Congress that action was necessary to counter the daily discrimination and prejudice faced by individuals with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, those legislators worked produced a bipartisan legislative package to outlaw discrimination against individuals with disabilities that was ultimately signed into law and that held as its purpose the fulfillment of the goals of opportunity, independent living, integration, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, the ADA prohibits employers from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities, requires that state and local governmental entities accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities, requires a place of public accommodation to take reasonable steps to ensure that the goods and services it provides are accessible to individuals with disabilities, and requires new trains and busses to be accessible to individuals with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, this history-making legislation has supported more than 55 million individuals in the United States who have disabilities as they more actively participated in society by removing barriers to employment, transportation, public services, telecommunications, and public accommodations; and
WHEREAS, curb cuts at street intersections, ramps for building access, and other accommodations that provide access to public transportation, stadiums, telecommunications, voting machines, and websites have all become mainstays of everyday life since the passage of the ADA, and all serve to benefit everyone in the United States, not just those with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, the United States has a profound obligation to welcome back, support, and create opportunities for tens of thousands of working-age, wounded veterans who have suffered injuries or illnesses related to their military service;
WHEREAS, three decades after the ADA’s enactment and 16 years after the Supreme Court of the United States issued its Olmstead v. L.C. decision, someone living in the United States is twice as likely to live in poverty if they have a disability, and home and workplace accommodations are still severely lacking, leaving many with disabilities to live and labor in segregated and institutional settings while experiencing significantly high rates of under- and unemployment; and
WHEREAS, the indispensable work of those who fought for the ADA must - and will - continue as part of the ongoing collective duty of the United States to meet the Act’s fundamental charges.
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh recognizes and honors the upcoming 30th anniversary of the date of enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and lauds the efforts of those who worked tirelessly for its passage; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Council encourages the City of Pittsburgh as a whole to celebrate the advancement of freedom and the expansion of opportunity and self-determination made possible by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Council pledges on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh and its residents to remain steadfast in its commitment to the furthering of opportunity, independent living, economic self-sufficiency and the full participation of individuals in the City of Pittsburgh who have disabilities.