Tennessee Disability Coalition News Blog

Getting Up Close and Personal with the Americans with Disabilities Act

By Shelley Kaplan and Sally Weiss*

With aging comes….senior discounts, early bird dinners, grandchildren and other benefits.  With aging…very often disability comes as well.  And, while magazines from AARP and other leisure-style publications run ads and articles about how we boomers can age in place, or the best places to retire, or how we can qualify for this or that financial benefit or social service, they rarely address another benefit—one that comes because we have now acquired a disability.

Brought to you by the disability community and their supports and passed almost unanimously in 1990 by both Houses of Congress, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) not only makes the physical world more accessible to you, but because it is a piece of civil rights legislation, it also protects you from discrimination based on a disability.

You may already have noticed curb cuts on sidewalks, sloping entrances to buildings, clearly marked and striped accessible parking spaces as well as the appearance of captions under news broadcasts and other shows.  But do you also realize that you can request assistive listening devices in movie theaters or in public forums to help you participate fully—whether enjoying a movie or participating in a heated discussion?  Or that the ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to current and prospective qualified employees if doing so will allow those individuals to perform the essential functions of their jobs?

More and more boomers are choosing to remain in the workforce beyond the once-typical retirement age of 65.  A recent survey by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) shows that seven in 10 Americans plan on working at the age of 65, and nearly half expect to work well into their 70s and 80s. Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), reasonable accommodations will be available to those qualified senior workers with disabilities to help them remain employed.  Most of these accommodations are inexpensive—and make good sense.  If a raised desk, or a magnifying monitor screen, or an amplified telephone head set allow you, as an experienced and qualified worker, to remain on your job despite acquiring a disability or two…or even three, you can thank the ADA.

People without disabilities have often been called TABs—Temporarily Able- Bodied—by those with disabilities.  In 2006, the leading edge of the Baby Boom generation turned 60.  AARP says that an additional four million Americans turn 50 each year.  As people age, their chances of developing age-related physical changes that may affect hearing, vision, cognition, and mobility also increase.

The U. S. Census Bureau projects that the number of people 65 and older will more than double between 2000 and 2030—from 35 million to 71.5 million people. There will be twice as many people 85 and older in 2030, with 9.6 million individuals projected to be part of the population

Whether older adults have disabilities or not, they benefit from accessible features and customer service practices in stores, museums, restaurants, printed publications, and online shopping, among others. Accessibility makes a visit to the grocery store, a theater performance, and an internet search easier and more enjoyable for people who experience limitations in vision, hearing, mobility, or memory.

Most Baby Boomers underestimate their risk of incurring a disability that would cause them to miss work for an extended period of time, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). The survey also found that nearly half (47 percent) of Baby Boomers say they are not too concerned about their chances of suffering a disabling illness or injury.  Yet, while they may not think of themselves as having disabilities, people in this age group often choose to patronize businesses that accommodate those changes by offering better lighting, less ambient noise, and fewer stairs.

And businesses will do well to take the wants and needs of this burgeoning population into consideration.  This large and growing market of people with disabilities has $175 billion in discretionary spending.  AARP says that people, with and without disabilities, age 50 and older spent nearly $400 billion in 2003.   Do the words, “I’m older and richer than you are” mean anything to you?  Whether you are a business seeking our dollars or a member of our ever-growing disability community—they should!  Towanda!

The DBTAC: Southeast ADA Center is your source for information to help you reach out and inform baby boomers about their potential future. Located in Atlanta, the Southeast DBTAC has helped others understand their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act for 18 years.  Here are several resources that will assist you in your outreach to baby boomers and others. For more assistance, please contact their toll free number (1-800-949-4232 v/tty) or visit www.sedbtac.org.

May is “Older Americans Month.” Below are some links to related information.

• Accessibility Benefits Older Customers with Disabilities www.ada.gov/olderaccess.htm

• Customers with Disabilities Means Business www.ada.gov/busstat.htm

• Disability Meets The Boom by Frank Bowe www.raggededgemagazine.com/departments/closerlook/000106.html
  

• Facts for Features: U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/011603.html

• Whitehouse Press Release www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/04/20080423-2.html

• Department of Health and Human Services: Administration on Aging Working Together for Strong, Healthy and Supportive Communities www.aoa.gov/press/oam/oam.asp

*Shelley Kaplan is the Director and Sally Weiss is the Materials Development Specialist for the DBTAC: Southeast ADA Center.