There are several laws that have been passed to help both the physically and mentally disabled. The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), and the Fair Housing Act, all help people with disabilities.

The ADA is the most known disability act. The act covers both physical and mental disabilities. The law is intended to stop stigma and discrimination in the status quo. It provides guidelines that show how to accommodate for people with disabilities. The act is divided into five sections that covers all American life. Each part covers a specific area such as education and employment. The act basically insures equal treatments to people that are physically or mentally disabled. The act has been debated, because critics believe that t

he act is unconstitutional. Critics charge that the law does exactly what is meant to do. They claim that the law actually increases stigma and discrimination. They say, that by labeling a person as disabled, it actually increases discrimination in the current system. Another argument is that the employers that are actually taken to court almost always win. Several cases have been to Supreme Court concerning the constitutionality of the act. Another act that is quite important is the IDEA. The IDEA insures that all disabled children receive a good education designed specifically to meet their needs. The opponents of the act say that it is impossible to enact the law in such a way that every disabled child will receive equal education. They claim that the reason it is impossible is because there is no definition that gives a clear description of what classifies as disabled. For example, the National Institute of Mental Health does not believe that a child with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) should be classified as disabled. However, several other groups, such as the APA (American Psychiatric Association), believe that ADHD in not a disability. The Fair Housing Act also protects disabled people from being discriminated. The act prevents communities or residencies from illegally preventing community based housing program for recovering alcohol and substance abusers.

Disabilities play a part in millions of Americans daily life. They have learned to cope with these problems by being assertive with their rights. There are a numerous amount of laws that have changed lives forever. Just as plentiful, interest groups have continued to shape and mold the laws. Court rulings have expanded or trimmed laws based on whether the law is constitutional. Future rulings and laws will influence American society just as their predecessors have. For all these reasons, America’s view of the disabled will be ever changing.

All these interest groups influence court rulings. There have been many cases taken to the Supreme Court concerning the ADA. US Airways v. Barnett, Chevron v. Echazabal, and PGA Tour v. Martin are all court ruling that have tried to clear up the fuzzy lines concerning the ADA. In the case of US Airways v. Barnett, it was testing if disability was held higher than seniority. It involves a former US

Some topics in this essay:
Opportunity Act, Housing Act, Casey Martin, Supreme Court, Health Association, IDEA IDEA, Airways Barnett, NAMI According, Association ACLU, Despite Americans, mental health, supreme court, casey martin, family opportunity act, opportunity act, pga tour, act act, family opportunity, mentally ill, expansion ada, court rulings, fair housing act, mental health association, national mental health, mental parity act,