Newswise — To mark the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a symposium Friday (Nov. 4) at the University of Mississippi examines how effectively the act has been in establishing a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability.
The free, public event, from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the Lamar Law Center's William N. Ethridge Moot Court Room, features a group of the nation's leading scholars in civil rights and disability law.
When the ADA was passed in 1990, it was hailed as "the world's first comprehensive declaration of the equality of people with disabilities." It guaranteed that every man, woman and child with a disability "can now pass through the closed doors, into a bright new era of equality, independence and freedom."
"Fifteen years (later), this is an appropriate time to reflect on the gains made and challenges that still remain under the Americans with Disabilities Act," said Michael Waterstone, assistant professor of law and organizer of the symposium. "The ADA was built on the models of earlier civil rights laws that came before it, but it also created different types of legal protections for people with disabilities."
Guest panelist Peter Blanck, professor of law at the University of Iowa and at Syracuse University, said, "Right now the ADA is at an interesting crossroads between effectiveness on range and reach of the law. With a new Supreme Court composition, there may be new unforeseen opportunities and challenges."
Blanck said the symposium addresses how recent ADA issues affect the millions who live with disabilities.
"Many do not work, live in poverty and do not have adequate health insurance and transportation," said Blanck, who plans to discuss the new landscape of ADA going into the next 15 years, and the employment and civil rights of people with disabilities.
Other panelists are professors Kaaryn Gustafson of the University of Connecticut Law School; Ann Hubbard of the University of Cincinnati College of Law; Miranda McGowan of the University of San Diego School of Law; Camille Nelson of Saint Louis University School of Law; and Michael Stein of Harvard Law School and William and Mary School of Law.
"The law school is pleased to host the ADA Symposium as part of the celebration of the act's 15th anniversary," said Samuel Davis, dean of the UM School of Law. "The symposium brings to the law school a distinguished panel of experts and commentators from all over the country. I look forward to hearing their reflections and different perspectives on the impact of the ADA on lives of Americans."
The diverse group of scholars is expected to discuss issues of disability law and policy. Panelists Blanck, Stein, and Hubbard are the leading voices in disability law scholarship, while professors McGowan, Gustafson and Nelson are experts in related civil rights fields.
"Their different perspectives and views will inform and enrich our discussions," Waterstone said.
The ADA has been crucial in explaining and protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities. It has created great advances in employment, access to public accommodations, and participation in public programs, services and activities, Waterstone said.
"Yet the ADA's impact on many of the important policy issues of our day " things like health care, integration into a more flexible labor market and access to technology " is still unclear," he added.
Papers from the symposium will be published in the Mississippi Law Journal. To learn more about the UM School of Law, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/law_school/
(natashia gregoire)
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