Critque of Ada

Critique of ADA and Affirmative Action

BSHS/422

March 26, 2012

Critique of ADA and Affirmative Action

The following is a critique of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), along with the Affirmative Action law. The ADA of 1990 was put into place to make certain that people with disabilities, both mental and physical are given the same rights and opportunities as people without disabilities. "Affirmative Action is the process of businesses or governmental agency in which it gives special rights of hiring or advancement to ethnic minorities to make up for past discrimination against the minority" (para. 1) Affirmative action was set into place in 1961 by then President John F. Kennedy during the civil rights movement (US Legal, 2012).

ADA and Affirmative Action although are based on the same principles, non-discrimination, there are differences in the construction of the policies. Both policies are set in place to assist positive opportunities for individuals, however there are many controversies surrounding these policies. The ADA ensures equal opportunities for people with physical and mental disabilities in employment, services provided by state and local government, public accommodations, and transportation (US Legal, 2012). Since the establishment of the act, the ADA policy has been revised many times. The ADA laws regarding service animals have changed many times in the past 4 years (personal communication, R. Wheeler). When the policies change it is not only the responsibility of the disabled person, it is also the responsibility of any public facility to keep up to day with the polices. With the number of amendments and alteration to the original ADA policies, there are going to be discrepancies, contributing to further problems for disabled individuals.

Employers are also affected by the ADA policies. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, (2009), it is illegal to discriminate against individuals who maybe disabled and...