The Focus on ADA

With Senator Tom Harkin pushing to "restore the intent" of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), there's an increasing amount of focus on issues important to Americans with disabilities.

Radio Iowa reports:

Harkin says in recent years court rulings have ignored the intent of Congress over who should be protected by the bill and narrowed the definition of who qualifies as an individual with a disability. "As a consequence, millions of people we intended to be protected by the A-D-A, including people with epilepsy diabetes and cancer, are not protected anymore," Harkin says. Harkin says the law has been weakened too much.

Harkin says when laws are written, they don't put in every little detail, that is done in the "report language." But he says the courts have ignored the report language, and Harkin says that's why there is bipartisan support to fix the bill.

At the same time the Iowa Senator has begun talking up these changes, a nationwide bus tour touting the Act has started visiting in the Senator's home state. It's being called the "Road to Freedom" Tour, and it has already visited 32 states since November.

These are good signs, and show a much-needed increased awareness for these issues.