US Disability: 1990-2000

Key Events regarding Disability in the US: 1990 to 2000:

1990: The Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990 requires the Attorney General to collect data on crimes committed because of the Victim's Disability, Race, Religion, Sexual Orientation, or Ethnicity.

1990: The Americans with Disabilities Act became law, and it provided comprehensive Civil Rights protection for people with Disabilities. Closely modeled after the Civil Rights Act and Section 504, the law was the most sweeping Disability Rights Legislation in American History. It mandated that Local, State, and Federal Governments and programs be accessible, that employers with more than 15 employees make "reasonable accommodations" for workers with Disabilities and not discriminate against otherwise qualified workers with Disabilities, and that public accommodations and commercial facilities make "reasonable modifications" to ensure access for Disabled members of the public, and not discriminate against them. It also mandated provision of Disabled-access toilet facilities in private buildings.

1990: Sam Skinner, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, issued regulations mandating wheelchair lifts on buses.

1990:  The Committee of Ten Thousand was founded to advocate for Americans with Hemophilia who were infected with HIV/AIDS through tainted blood products.

1990: The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act became law in the U.S. It was meant to help communities cope with the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

1990: The first Disability Pride Parade in the United States was held in Boston in 1990.

1990: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was amended and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

1991: Detectable warnings have been required for the edges of rail platforms in the United States.

1993: The American Indian Disability Legislation Project was established to collect data on Native American Disability Rights laws and regulations

1993:  Robert Williams was appointed Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. He was the first Developmentally Disabled person to be named the Commissioner.

1993: The U.S. Congress explicitly authorized the creation of Special Needs Trusts so that people with Disabilities could maintain their public benefits and also have access to other funds.

1993: The Superior Court of Pennsylvania held that a Mentally Incompetent patient may be Sterilized.

1993: The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 became law in the U.S., and it required States with Disabled Service Agencies to have them act as Disabled voter registration agencies as well.

1994:  The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act expanded the scope of required FBI data to include Hate Crimes based on Disability, and the FBI began collecting data on Disability bias crimes on January 1, 1997.

1995: The American Association of People with Disabilities was founded in Washington, D.C.

1995: Sandra Jensen was denied a heart-lung transplant by the Stanford University School of Medicine in California because she had Down Syndrome. After pressure from Disability Rights Activists, Stanford U School of Medicine Administrators reversed their decision. In 1996, Jensen became the first person with Down Syndrome to receive a Heart-Lung Transplant.

1995: The Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA) became law in the U.S., and it required all offices in the Legislative Branch to make their public services, programs, activities, and places of public accommodation accessible to members of the public who have Disabilities, as well as declaring that employees of Congress cannot be discriminated against in personnel actions because of a Disability.

1997: The Campus Hate Crimes Right to Know Act of 1997), which requires Campus Security Authorities to collect and report data on Hate Crimes committed on the basis of Disability, Race, Gender, Religion, Sexual Orientation, or Ethnicity.

1998: The Veterans Programs Enhancement Act became law in the U.S., and it required a cost-of-living adjustment in rates of compensation paid to Veterans with service-connected Disabilities, as well as various improvements in education, housing, and cemetery programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

1998:  In Pennsylvania Department of Corrections v. Yeskey, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the Americans with Disabilities Act includes State Prisons.

1998:  President Clinton signed into law the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Amendments, which includes Section 508. Section 508 "requires access to the Federal Government's electronic and information technology. The law covers all types of electronic and information technology in the Federal sector and is not limited to assistive technologies used by people with Disabilities."

1999: Jack Kevorkian was arrested and tried for his direct role in a case of Voluntary Euthanasia of a Disabled person. He served 8 years in prison.

1999: The United States Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program is the centerpiece of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999; this free and voluntary program supports career development for people who receive Social Security Disability Benefits.