Handicapped was created. For over a decade, this or-
ganization sought a comprehensive law that would
provide equal opportunities for those with handi-
caps. By 1987, the first draft of the Americans with
Disabilities Act was written, and it quickly gained
sponsorship by Republican senator Lowell Weicker
and Democratic representative Tony Coelho, both
of Connecticut, who introduced it in April, 1988. In
November, Democrats Tom Harkin of Iowa and Ted
Kennedy of Massachusetts became the Senate spon-
sors, as Lowell had been defeated for reelection.
Legislation was reintroduced in 1989 and again in
- The version of the bill that was introduced in
1990 was the result of a compromise, as it had been
modified to accommodate business interests as well
as the disabled community.
Support for such legislation was gaining momen-
tum around the nation, culminating in March of
1990 when participants in the “Wheels of Justice”
campaign demonstrated in Washington, D.C., occu-
pying the Capitol Rotunda and demanding passage
of the bill. In July, the Americans with Disabilities Act
was passed with majority support in both houses and
then signed into law by President George H. W. Bush
in a traditional White House Rose Garden cere-
mony. One reason for the bill’s strong support was
that many members of Congress had personal or
family reasons for being concerned about disabil-
ity issues. Beyond Senators Harkin and Kennedy
and Congressmen Coelho, other key figures in the
passage of the act were Attorney General Dick
Thornburgh and Senator Dole. The major public in-36 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Nineties in America
President George H. W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990.(AP/Wide World Photos)