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On the 29th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the author takes stock on what the Act has accomplished thus far and what still needs attention, as he reflects on Andrew I. Batavia's (Drew) discovered memoirs and his life mission as a disability activist. Drew was a person with a spinal cord injury who wrote regulations for the Act. As we celebrate the Act today we need to protect and advance these civil rights now and into the future so that all people can participate more fully in life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the case of celiac disease, an autoimmune disease for which the medical treatment is a gluten-free diet, and the social implications of its inclusion as a disability. Under what circumstances is celiac disease a disability and what are the consequences of such considerations? The article evaluates the expansion of the definition of disability and its inclusion of individuals with celiac disease, and also considers the macro-level and micro-level consequences and social implications for both individuals with celiac disease themselves and also for the field of disability studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutions are often well prepared in terms of accommodation policies and practices for disabled students. Ironically, campuses are often not prepared once disabled academics return as faculty. Most are particularly unfamiliar with the unique access needs of deaf or hard of hearing academics. This can result in career hindrances to employment and tenure, as well as potential losses to campuses in terms of diversity. Background and substantiation on this access issue is provided along with recommendations for policy-making and practices for campuses that are geared to ensuring career success for deaf and hard of hearing faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article posits that although it has been 20 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a continuing tension remains between truly understanding and protecting the rights of people with disabilities and eliminating discrimination via the design of the built environment. Focus group and interview findings document the expressed and contradictory attitudes of practicing interior designers. This article demonstrates that although interior designers apply ADA design and construction guidelines as required by US laws and generally concede its universal benefits, the majority have not adopted the underlying spirit of the landmark civil rights law. Since interior designers ignore the essence of the ADA, the large scale use of non-discriminatory practices in the design of the built environment has progressed little during these two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study describes the manner in which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – the first state-funded institution of higher education in the United States – publicly addressed the disability civil rights movement just before and after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. An analysis of archived documents, reports, and correspondence among administrators coupled with a review of news coverage in two of the most prominent news sources on campus indicated that there was no attempt to create and sustain significant public communication efforts about disability. Public communication focused on accessibility issues and rarely acknowledged the significance of the disability civil rights. The potential benefit of public communication about disability issues is discussed as it relates to higher education’s obligation to assume social leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis compares legislation of the first country to enact these laws, the USA and its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in original and amended versions, with Korea, which recently passed its Anti-Discrimination and Remedies for Persons with Disabilities Act in 2007. The intent is to identify ways in which countries such as Korea have learned from the American experience, focusing on similarities and differences between the two pieces of legislation, as well as the relevance of lessons learned to other countries considering similar legislation. Origins of the act in each country will be summarized, followed by a review of how disability is defined, what areas are subject to protection and the types of discrimination covered. Key judicial interpretations of the ADA which have greatest relevance to successful implementation of the Korean anti-discrimination law will also be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]