NEW YORK, October 19, 2004—House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer, D-Maryland, will speak on the unfulfilled promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the need to address the weakening of protections afforded to people with disabilities at noon on October 21 at New York Law School, 57 Worth Street.  

In 1990, Congressman Hoyer shepherded the Americans with Disabilities Act to overwhelming approval in the House, and it was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. The ADA—the world’s first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities—was an explicit statement that a disability need not result in exclusion, paternalism or dependence, Hoyer says.  

“Under this new law, disabled Americans were guaranteed that employers could not discriminate against them simply because they have a disability,” Hoyer says. “However, our progress and the best efforts of so many in the business community must not obscure this fact: The promise of the ADA remains unfulfilled for far too many of America’s 54 million disabled citizens.”  

Given the adverse rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts, the time has come to consider aggressive legislative action in Congress to address the unmistakable weakening of the protections afforded under the ADA, Hoyer says.  

“But we need to be careful and pick our shots strategically,” says Hoyer. “None of us should misapprehend the potential peril in reopening this landmark measure to amendment. Of course, any effort to restore Congressional intent in the Americans with Disabilities Act must be part of a carefully thought out strategy. Otherwise, we are only inviting trouble and risking a rollback of the gains that have already been made.”    

Congressman Hoyer represents Maryland’s Fifth Congressional District, serving his 12th term. On November 14th, 2002, Congressman Hoyer was unanimously elected by Members of the House Democratic Caucus to serve as House Democratic Whip, the second-ranking position among House Democrats.  

Congressman Hoyer’s speech will be the first annual Tony Coelho Lecture in Disability Employment Law & Policy, named for Tony Coelho, former Majority Whip in the U.S. House of Representatives, author and principal sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and one of the nation’s leading advocates for people with disabilities. The lecture is presented by the Law School’s Labor & Employment Law Program, directed by Professor Seth Harris.  

The event will be held in the Ernst Stiefel Reading Room, and doors will open at 11 a.m. Sign-language interpreters will be provided. Persons with disabilities should enter the Law School at 234 Church Street. Please e-mail lawoftheworkplace@nyls.edu regarding any additional accommodations you may need.  

To register, please go to old.nyls.edu/lel or call 212.431.2127 by October 14, 2004. This event is open to the public, but space is limited.

ABOUT NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL

Located near the centers of law, government, and finance in New York City, New York Law School is one of the oldest independent law schools in the United States. Its faculty of noted and prolific scholars has built the school’s curricular strength in the areas of tax law, labor and employment law, civil and human rights law, media and information law, urban legal studies, international and comparative law, and interdisciplinary fields such as legal history and legal ethics. The Law School enrolls 1,400 students and has more than 11,000 graduates.

Contact: Edie Sachs, Director of Communications, Office of Public Affairs,  212.431.2187, esachs@nyls.edu.