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THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release July 26, 1990 FACT SHEET The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The President today signed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the broadest expansion of the nation's civil rights laws since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The legislation extends the framework of Federal civil rights laws that currently apply to women and minorities to the 43 million Americans who have some form of disability. This allows an unprecedented opportunity to bring Americans with disabilities into the mainstream of American life. The legislation prohibits discrimination in employment, public services, public accommodations, and transportation, and provides for telecommunications relay services. Background The Americans with Disabilities Act began with the 1986 report of the National Council on Disability entitled "Toward Independence" which Vice President Bush accepted on behalf of the Administration. The Council proposed broad legislation to expand Federal civil rights laws to include persons with disabilities. During the 1988 campaign, Vice President Bush expressed his support for legislation to extend to people with disabilities the same basic equal opportunities protections that are afforded to women and minorities. The Vice President also expressed his support for legislation to protect HIV- infected persons from discrimination because of their infection. In his "Building a Better America" address to the Congress on February 9, 1989, the President said, "Disabled Americans must become full partners in America's opportunity society.'

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