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Before Accommodations
Before disability accommodation laws were put in place, people were shunned for having any physical or mental disabilities. Things that today would be considered deplorable were average in these times. "Ugly Laws" were created that restricted anyone with a physical alteration from being seen in public. -
Smith-Sears Veterans Rehabilitation Act
Prior to the Smith-Sears Veterans Rehabilitation Act (SSVRA), men who returned home from war who were not able to work received a modest pension and were not further assisted. Diagnoses of PTSD or other mental disabilities were not studied or considered "medically sound". In 1918 this law created promotions for veterans and vocational rehab services for veterans to reintegrate back into civilian life -
The Virginia Sterilization Act
In 1924, the Virginia Sterilization Act was passed. It allowed for compulsory sterilization of people that were deemed "feeble minded, insane, idiotic, or epileptic". During this time, sterilization was considered a sound way to reduce medical issues in a community. -
Buck vs. Bell
In 1927 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of maintaining the Virginia Sterilization Act by stating that sterilization "for the protection and health of the state" did not violate the Due Process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This was done to those who were deemed "defective" human beings that did not improve the human race with reproduction. This decision has never been overturned by the Supreme Court. Therefore, this sets precedence. -
Social Security Act
The social security act was passed. It allowed for monetary assistance for old-age and those who were blind as well as children with disabilities. -
Architectual Barriers Act
The Architectural Barriers Act became law in the U.S., and required all federally owned or leased buildings to be accessible to disabled people. Among other things, it required provision of disabled-access toilet facilities. -
Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was passed. It states that “No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States, shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” This is section 504 of the act. This is the first time civil rights for people with disabilities was recognized in federal law. -
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act became law in the U.S., and it declared that handicapped children could not be excluded from public school because of their disability, and that school districts were required to provide special services to meet the needs of handicapped children. The law also required that handicapped children be taught in a setting that resembles as closely as possible the regular school program, while also meeting their special needs -
Cherry vs. Matthews
This was a Supreme Court case in which they ruled in favor of the disabled action committee and required the DHEW to write in and develop the Section 504 regulation to prohibit discrimination against "handicapped persons" in any federally funded program. This is the basis for a "504 plan" for students in schools. -
Virginia Sterilization Act Repealed
The Virginia Sterilization Act was repealed after several Supreme Court cases against primary caregivers for sterilizing their children or legal wards. -
Fair Housing Act
This act was amended to protect people with disabilities from housing discrimination in the areas of rentals, sales, and financing, as outlined in the Civil Rights Act of 1968. The amendment also provided that reasonable modifications had to be made to existing buildings and accessibility had to be constructed into new multi-family housing units. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Local, state, and federal governments and programs be accessible, employers with more than 15 employees make “reasonable accommodations” for workers with disabilities and not discriminate 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.
