jan 7, 1990 - Americans with Disabilities Act solidified understanding disability as social problem

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1990: The Americans with Disabilities Act was modeled after the 1964 Civil Rights Act
and recognized people with disabilities as a significant political minority with a history of
oppression. This solidified the U.S. as a leader in disability rights and marked a shift towards understanding disability as a social and political problem instead of a medical
one. The traditional medical model viewed disability as a central part of an individual’s
identity and as an individual deficit, with the assumption that the body can be objectified
and controlled. The new social model understands disability as a result of inaccessible social environments, barriers, and societal attributes; disability is viewed as a social construct, not an individual medical condition.

Title I under this act forced employed to include qualified workers even if it meant
providing reasonable accommodations. This changed the perspective to have people
with disabilities to be seen as productive, taxpaying citizens, rather than consumers of
tax dollars. Reagan’s economic politics and welfare reform helped this shift.

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