Lives Changed: Thirty Years of the ADA


On July 26, 1990, the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act marked a new era for people with disabilities. The landmark legislation prohibiting discrimination based on disability aimed to assure that that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The law covered several areas of public life, including employment, education, transportation, and public and private places that are open to the general public.

celebrating 30 years of the ADA

The KU Life Span Institute has conducted research aimed at improving the lives of people with disabilities for more than 60 years. Together with many units at the University of Kansas, we are marking this anniversary through our media and programs. Please join us for: 

Look Back, Look Forward: The ADA at 30

"Look Back/Look Forward: The ADA at 30,” will be held at 3 pm October 14. This virtual panel features:

  • Jean Hall, director of the Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies and professor in the KU Department of Applied Behavioral Science
  • Lex Frieden, professor of biomedical informatics and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
  • Anjali Forber-Pratt, assistant professor at the Department of Human & Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University
  • Rebecca Cokley, director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress

The panel will be moderated by Michael Wehmeyer, chair of the KU Department of Special Education, Ross and Marianna Beach Distinguished Professor in Special Education, and director and senior scientist at the Beach Center on Disability.