Lennard J. Davis

I was slow in starting this book, in part because of feeling generally depressed about how the ADA has failed in enforcement, particularly when it comes to employment protections. This is particularly rich since the Republican justification for it was always “then more disabled people will be employed and won't need benefits.” After it passed the early court decisions totally shrunk the scope of what is or isn't a disability, to the extent that when two pilots were denied employment at show more United Airlines because they were nearsighted if they weren't wearing glasses/contacts, the court said they didn't have protection under the ADA because their impairments were corrected via glasses. Only they were still denied based on an impairment... This ruling affects wheelchair users as well, and anyone whose impairment is corrected with a device or medication. I know many people who were denied employment because they needed the accommodation of sitting down behind a checkout counter. That tiny thing, which causes no financial impact to a business, is still keeping disabled people from working and keeping us in poverty.

Once I did start the book, it was a good, compelling read, though don't believe the cover blurb about it being “a spellbinding political thriller.” Davis writes well, and with some insight into disability pre-ADA (his parents are both Deaf), but he is not disabled and he does fall into ableist language at times (though being disabled doesn't necessarily prevent that, of course). The organization of the book is good though, and he describes the people involved well. The ADA was unusual in it's formation, as there was a strict agreement that meetings would go on behind closed doors (mostly without any disabled people there, by the by) and no one would talk to the press. That way there would be less press and public pressure and response to specifics of the legislation, meaning more politicians were willing to back it.

It wasn't quite a five-star read for me (and I can't help but wish it had been authored by a disabled person). I recommend this book to everyone, really, in part to increase understanding of being disabled in the US (and keeping in mind this is one of the easier places in the world to be disabled). It's also an important reminder of just how different things are now, post-ADA. Curb cutouts, elevators in metro stations, accessible buses, these are relatively new and now (mostly) ubiquitous things. There are still many architectural barriers to accessibility, but it is so much better now, and it's easy to take those seemingly simple changes for granted. show less

Having worked with disabled children and their families for more than thirty years during the time leading up to the passage of ADA I am very interested in the subject. I wasn't disappointed with the book in that I learned some very interesting things about the background and the political maneuverings behind the scenes leading to the legislation. However, parts of it were quite tedious as the author went into minute detail about who said what when; I found myself wondering if he was ever show more going to get to the point. I found the last chapter, Enabling the ADA, to be the most interesting. The author discusses some of the difficulties implementing the legislation. The primary problem is that each person's disability is unique and accommodation for one problem often creates barriers for someone else. The classic problem is a public restroom door that is wide enough to accommodate a power wheelchair is often too heavy for a person without much upper arm strength. The notes, particularly the biographical notes, are useful for researchers. show less

This book is an excellent case study of how legislation is enacted by today’s politicians but, as a coherent history of the ADA, it left me slightly depressed.

As a disabled person, I looked forward to reading this book so I might learn the identities of the persons and the processes that brought about the enacting of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I was employed by a large aerospace firm when I became totally disabled as a result of contacting Guillain-Barre syndrome. My show more employer kept my position open for the two years it took to recover to my own satisfaction. When I returned to work, the Social Security Administration and my long term disability insurance carrier certified that I was 100% disabled. I was a ‘walking quad’ dependent on forearm crutches for longer treks, a cane to get around the office and no functional and free hands to tote notebooks and such.

I was not a key employee, a member of management or otherwise connected nor were my duties likely to affect earnings. Never-the-less, my employer eased me back into the work flow, retro-fitted all doors I might encounter with lever style handles, avoided assignments to buildings and sites accessible only by stairs or steps and made other accommodations—all without fanfare. What’s wrong about this story? I was disabled in 1981 and returned to work in 1983; over five years before the enactment of the ADA. My employer did what was right not because it was forced to do so but because it was the right thing to do.

Perhaps influenced by my own experience and never wittingly discriminated against, I naively assumed that the author would parade out an array of champions, both in and out of government who orchestrated the enactment of the ADA. Instead, Davis presented a kaleidoscope of uncoordinated activists allied with and arrayed against a mix of politicians that mainly spoke in dollars and cents and were seemingly more interested in practicing political clout and one-upmanship than doing something for the good of society. I finished the book with the nagging vision of the disabled community being nothing but a football being kicked about by power players who over or under inflated the ball according to political winds and whims.

The author correctly concludes that enacting the ADA and its later refinements was a positive move but, in my opinion, it should not have been needed. Every major religion and every moral philosophy stress the duty we have to tend to the poor and aid those who are unable. Where were our moral leaders during this process? Davis either chose to ignore the moral imperative, felt it not to have been a consideration in the enactment, or felt it to be outside the scope of his work. It would have been richer had he done so. show less

"Enabling Acts" celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Author Lennard J. Davis hasn't written so much a legislative history of an historic statute as much as he has a biography of a movement. In a chatty and informal style, Davis shares the biographies and stories of the eclectic individuals who helped to create the spar for, and push for the enactment of, the ADA. Some lived in communes, others slept in penthouses, some worked the streets from show more storefronts, others worked the phones from suites. Conservative stalwart or liberal lion, all recognized (and Davis is not hesitant to show that everyone grows in their own way and time) the ignorance and injustices confronting the Disabled Community, and came together -- sometimes in spite of themselves, sometimes despite themselves -- for a cause larger than themselves. And maybe reflect about that next time you use a curb-cut at a sidewalk/street intersection. Besides, few books possess such a grab-you opening sentence: "In an upstairs room at the Capitol, Senator Ted Kennedy slammed his hand down on the table with a force that shook the room" (p.1). Made me want to dive right in, and I wasn't disappointed. show less