Unit 1 Resources: Foundations of American Citizenship - Deerlake ...

Name Date ClassEnrichment Activity 4A Bill of Rights for the Physically ChallengedDIRECTIONS: Read the following passage about federal legislation to aid the physicallyand mentally challenged, and then answer the questions on a separatesheet of paper.Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.Several years ago, 34-year-old Diana Scheffert wanted to find a job as a secretary.She could type 70 words per minute, could take dictation, and had apleasant personality. Diana was also confined to a wheelchair. She was turneddown for job after job because the businesses in her community did not haveramps, rest rooms for the physically challenged, and other special facilitiesDiana needed. Even if a company had hired Diana, she would not have beenable to ride a bus or subway train to work. Since she could not support herself,Diana received disability checks from the government and lived in a subsidizedapartment.Because of her physical disability, Diana was denied opportunities in employmentand in other areas of life. Fortunately, Diana’s situation—and the situationof millions of other mentally and physically challenged Americans—haschanged. The reason is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This actprohibits all public and private businesses—whether or not they receive federalaid—from discriminating against the physically or mentally challenged.According to this act, businesses employing more than 15 workers mustmodify their offices, factories, or stores to accommodate physically challengedemployees. New buses, trains, and subway cars must be equipped withhydraulic lifts to make them accessible to people in wheelchairs. New or renovatedretail stores, hotels, and restaurants must be barrier free, and barriers inexisting buildings must be removed if possible. Finally, telephone companiesmust provide relay services between special telephones for hearing- and speechimpairedpeople and ordinary telephones.Businesses that could prove that the required changes would be too costly ortoo disruptive or would substantially alter the way they do business are exemptfrom complying with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.Nevertheless, it is estimated that state and local governments and private businesseshave spent billions of dollars to comply with the law.1. How does the Americans with Disabilities Act help the physically andmentally challenged?2. What were some of the changes that businesses had to make to comply withthis new law?3. What businesses were exempt from complying with the Americans withDisabilities Act?4. The Americans with Disabilities Act has been hailed as a bill of rights for thephysically and mentally challenged. In what way is it a bill of rights?5. CRITICAL THINKING Do you think the government has the right to force businessesto modify their facilities to accommodate the physically and mentallychallenged? Why or why not?63CHAPTER 4