Disabililty rights under siege
in the US
by Anna
(The Special Life)
I received an urgent plea today about proposed changes that would affect Americans with disabilities:
ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!
The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund announces:
Department of Justice Proposes Vast Changes in ADA Regulations
YOUR COMMENTS URGENTLY NEEDED! The deadline for comments is August 18, 2008.
TO SEE DRAFT COMMENTS, visit http://www.dredf.org/DOJ_NPRM
The Department of Justice recently issued major proposed revisions to its regulations implementing Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
...draconian changes that would radically reduce the rights of people with disabilities. For example, DOJ proposes:
A significant weakening of the readily achievable barrier removal requirement for public accommodations;
A significant reduction of elements required to be accessible in state and local government facilities;
An exemption for all existing facilities from the new recreation and playground rules;
and many others.
DOJ must receive a flood of comments from the disability community in favor of a strong, comprehensive ADA. Comments must defend the principle of individual, case-by-case assessment, which DOJ is largely abandoning in favor of many blanket reductions. We must remind DOJ that the ADA is already carefully crafted to take the needs of covered entities into account, and that reductions to our civil rights would be a devastating blow to our daily lives.
Pam W
SE of SeattleThe story speaks for itself. If you're in the US, do your bit to protect your rights.
It's important for all of us.
