Education

Bill for the Disabled Called ‘Crusade for Civil Rights’

By Debra Viadero — May 11, 1988 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Saying they are launching a new “crusade for civil rights,’' a group of lawmakers has introduced in the Congress a measure that seeks to expand existing law to bar all forms of discrimination against the handicapped.

The “Americans with disabilities act of 1988'’ would afford the handicapped some of the same federal protections now provided to women and minorities through the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The proposed legislation would bar discrimination against the disabled in a broad range of areas, including education, employment, housing, public accommodations, transportation, communication, and recreation.

The proposal would, for example, require television networks to provide captioning for advertisements and programs. It would force public and private transportation services to make their vehicles accessible to the handicapped. And it would require newly constructed multi-family housing units to have common areas that meet the needs of the disabled.

School districts and other recipients of federal funds already are prohibited from discriminating against the handicapped under Title V of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

But that law “addresses only a few areas in which discrimination occurs,’' according to Senator Lowell P. Weicker Jr., Republican of Connecticut and a sponsor of the bill. He said the proposed measure would expand those prohibitions to almost all other facets of society--both public and private.

“As a society, we have treated people with disabilities as inferiors and have made them unwelcome in many activities and opportunities generally available to other Americans,’' he said.

The bill is also being sponsored in the Senate by Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa.

In the House, the bill’s sponsors are: Representative Tony Coelho, Democrat of California; Representative Major R. Owens, Democrat of New York; and Representative Silvio O. Conte, Republican of Massachusetts.

Hearings on the bill have not yet been scheduled. But aides to several of its sponsors said they did not expect the measure to be voted on before the Congress adjourns this summer.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the May 11, 1988 edition of Education Week as Bill for the Disabled Called ‘Crusade for Civil Rights’

Events

Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2025 Survey Results: The Outlook for Recruitment and Retention
See exclusive findings from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of K-12 job seekers and district HR professionals on recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction. 
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
How District Leaders Align Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction for Student Success
Join K-12 leaders as they share strategies for aligning curriculum, assessment, and instruction to support all learners.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: January 15, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Quiz Education Week News Quiz: Jan. 10, 2025
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd while walking with his wife, Rosalynn, and their daughter, Amy, along Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House following his inauguration in Washington, Jan. 20, 1977.
President Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd while walking with his wife, Rosalynn, and their daughter, Amy, along Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House following his inauguration in Washington, Jan. 20, 1977.
Suzanne Vlamis/AP
Education Quiz Education Week News Quiz: Dec. 19, 2024
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
TIghtly cropped photograph showing a cafeteria worker helping elementary students select food in lunch line. Food shown include pizza, apples, and broccoli.
iStock/Getty
Education The Education Word of 2024 Is ...
Educators, policymakers, and parents all zeroed in on students' tech use in 2024, which prompted this year's winner.
5 min read
Image of a cellphone ban, disruption, and symbol of AI.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva