TIME
3/26/90

American Notes

CONGRESS
A Crawl-In At the Capitol

There had never been such a sight at the entrance to the U.S. Capitol. Dozens of disabled people abandoned their wheelchairs and crawled up the steep stone steps on knees, elbows and backs. The climb was not really necessary. The Capitol is equipped with ramps and elevators for wheelchairs. But the point was to rally support for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which would require public buildings and transportation systems to accommodate the disabled.

One major obstacle to passage of the bill is the fear of small-business groups that it might be amended to allow disabled people to bring damage suits if they are discriminated against. To prevent an avalanche of court cases, the Justice Department has urged Congress to specify the circumstances under which the disabled could sue for damages. A compromise is expected.

PHOTO (by Terry Ashe): Very dark image of several people climbing the steps. One is holding a sign which reads in part "Americans with Disabilities Act." Behind the climbers is part of the capitol building with columns.
Caption reads: Making a point, the disabled surmount the Capitol steps.

Created on

Friday 12 July 2013

Posted on

Monday 29 June 2015

Tags

ADA, ADAPT, crawl, US Capitol

Albums

• ADA 1990

Visits

1889

Rating score

no rate

Rate this photo