Description
Book SynopsisSigned into law in July 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became effective two years later, and court decisions about the law began to multiply in the middle of the decade. This book presents the first legislative history of the enactment of the ADA in Congress and analyzes the first decade of judicial decisions under the act.
Trade ReviewThe Disability Pendulum chronicles societal views and court reactions to the evolving ADA. Ruth Colker shows that public acceptance and inclusion of persons with disabilities into society is as much driven by attitudes about disability as by law and policy themselves. Colker offers an enriched and fresh analysis of the forces affecting the civil rights movement of persons with disabilities in American society. -- Peter Blank,Charles M. and Marion Kierscht Professor of Law and Director, Law, Health Policy & Disability Center, University of Iowa College of Law
Ruth Colkers book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in disability rights. Colker has long been one of the most astute observers of the development of disability rights in the courts. This book lays out the compelling story of what the ADA was intended to do and what the courts have done to the ADA. The book is both inspiring and sobering. -- Chai Feldblum,Georgetown University Law Center
[A] comprehensive, factually-supported, and carefully reasoned book in a manner worthy of academic interest. At the same time, [Colker] writes in a plain style free of academic jargon and returns consistently to the human-interest arena of practical ramifications. * New York Law Journal *
This book is must reading for teachers, school administrators, parents, vocational rehabilitation counselors, disability rights lawyers, and Deaf Community leaders who hope to help take the citizen ship interests of deaf and hard-of-hearing people to the next level. The book helps these constituencies make the essential connections between raising and educating deaf children and the rights and opportunities those children hope to enjoy * Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education *
Colker's book provides a comprehensive review of the ADAs history and a thorough analysis of how effective it has been in vindicating the rights of the disabled. She does not paint a pretty picture, but it is an accurate, empirically based assessment. * Trial *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPreface 1 Introduction: High Hope Followed by Public Backlash 2 The ADA's Journey through Congress3 ADA Title I: An Empirical Investigation 4 The Face of Judicial Backlash 5 ADA Title II: The Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeals, and the States: A Swinging Pendulum 6 ADA Title III: A Fragile Compromise 7 Dissing CongressNotesIndex About the Author