Our Mission
The mission of Disability Rights Mississippi is to promote, protect and advocate for the legal and human rights of all people with disabilities, and to assist them with full inclusion in home, community, education and employment.
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The Americans with Disabilities Act: As summarized in Wikipedia: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is the short title of United States (Pub.L. 101-336, 104 Stat. 327, enacted July 26, 1990), codified at 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009. The ADA is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. Disability is defined as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity." The determination of whether any particular condition is considered a disability is made on a case by case basis. Certain specific conditions are excluded as disabilities, such as current substance abuse and visual impairment which is correctable by prescription lenses. On September 25, 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law the The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). It is intended to give broader protections for disabled workers and "turn back the clock" on court rulings which Congress deemed too restrictive. The ADAAA includes a list of impairments to major life activities. For further explanation use these helpful links: The Olmstead Decision – In Olmstead vs. L.C. (1999), the United States Supreme Court held that the unnecessary segregation of individuals with disabilities in institutions may constitute discrimination based on disability. The ruling upheld a key civil rights provision in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), known as the "integration mandate," which maintains that individuals with disabilities must be offered services in the "most integrated setting" possible. As a result, states may be required to provide community-based services rather than institutional placements for many individuals with disabilities. These sites will tell you more about the ruling: Bill A. Law Suit Settlement Agreement: More info to be posted at a later date. |