Empirical Study of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990–1993)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is the first federal law to address discrimination against an estimated 43 million Americans in the areas of employment, governmental services, public accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications. This article examines the challenges of putting into practice the ADA's employment provisions, set forth in Title I of the Act. The first part of this article provides an overview of an ongoing empirical investigation of Title I of the ADA. The second part highlights the role of empirical study in interpreting and effectively implementing Title I of the ADA. The third part describes the development of the research model and the implications of its preliminary findings from 1990–1993 for employment integration, economic opportunity, the implementation of Title I of the ADA, and vocational rehabilitation professionals generally.