July 26, 2001 -- On the 11th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, disability rights advocacy groups launched adawatch.org to "respond to threats to the civil rights of people with disabilities," according to ADA Watch's Jim Ward.

The website has been designed as "an informational network and advocacy tool of the ADA WATCH coalition of disability rights organizations united to protect the ADA," says the group.

The group says it is concerned about threats to the ADA, including the nomination of Ohio attorney Jeffrey Sutton to the 6th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals; February's 5-4 Supreme Court ruling that Congress did not have the authority to allow state employees to sue the states for monetary damages under the ADA and proposed legislation in Congress to weaken the ADA including the ADA Notification Act introduced by Congressman Mark Foley (R-Fla) which requires a 90 day waiting period before people with disabilities can get their rights to equal access enforced, which adawatch.org says "would discourage voluntary compliance of the ADA and allow offenders to delay accommodations without consequence."

With its emphasis on advocacy, the website contains online petitions for advocates to sign and other organizing materials.

Organizations involved in the ADAwatch.org website include ADAPT, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Disability Rights Center, National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems, the National Council on Independent Living, the National Disabled Student Union and the National Organization on Disability.

Visit ADAwatch.org

ADAwatch.org on the Jeffrey Sutton nomination

ADAwatch.org on the ADA Notification Act

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For more background or sources on this topic, contact For More Information About ADAwatch.org contact Jim Ward
jim@adawatch.org
202-329-5877