Search

An interview with Tom Harkin, former Senator from Iowa, is presented. Topics include his decision to retire from the Senate after four decades, his proudest achievement—the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), frustrations during his Senate tenure, and the Harkin Institute's work on disability issues, retirement security, labor, and a pilot project on universal basic income. Harkin reflects on his family's influence on his advocacy for disability rights.

The article comments on the proposed rulemaking by the U.S. Department of Justice under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act that is intended to improve access to medical diagnostic equipment for people with disabilities, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' proposed rule on nondiscrimination on the basis of disability. It discusses the problem with telehealth platforms that contribute to health inequities and discriminatory medical decisions.

The author reflects on how government entities are the most blatant violators of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He mentions that in 2021, three disabled residents and a local disability rights organization filed a federal class action lawsuit against Baltimore's mayor and city council. The author reveals that complaint pointed out that city received a grant in 2015 to install accessible crossing devices for the blind at certain intersections.

The author reflects on his decision to boycott U.S. restaurant chain Domino's Pizza Inc. for its failure to improve the accessibility of its web site/mobile app for people with disabilities. Topics discussed include blind man Guillermo Robles' federal lawsuit against Domino's, the claim that the firm violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act because its web site lacks necessary accessibility features, and the debate on whether the web site is considered a public accommodation.

The article reports on proceeding of the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by U.S. Supreme court justice Antonin Scalia. Topics discussed include the U.S. supreme court cases Sutton v. United Airlines Inc. and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc. v. Williams in which ADA definition of disability was diluted by the court; amendment of the ADA Act in 2008 by the U.S. Congress and Olmstead v. L.C and E.W. in which Georgia's disabled women were kept indefinitely in an institution.