"The National Council on Disability (NCD) is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress on issues affecting 54 million Americans with disabilities. NCD is composed of 15 members appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In its 1986 report Toward Independence, NCD first proposed that Congress should enact a civil rights law for people with disabilities. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law."

"NCD's overall purpose is to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability; and to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society."

"NCD is currently coordinating a multi-year study on the implementation and enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other civil rights laws."

Here is an E-Mail I received from Mark S. Quigley of the National Council on Disability.

---- Original Message -----

From:Mark S. Quigley

To:Rick Kelley

Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 11:49 AM

Subject: NCD News Release 00295

Rick: Please read our report. We have a special section on EEOC's poor
enforcement of ADA. Hope that helps.
http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/news/r00295.html

NEWS RELEASE

NCD #00295
June 27, 2000
Contact: Mark S. Quigley
202272-2008

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY SAYS LACK OF COHERENT FEDERAL AGENCY STRATEGY HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL ON THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

WASHINGTON-The National Council on Disability (NCD) has concluded that the overall impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been seriously diminished by a lack of sufficient leadership in developing a vision for ADA enforcement across the various federal agencies. NCD's conclusions regarding weak federal enforcement of ADA are contained in its report, Promises to Keep: A Decade of Federal Enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"Although federal government agencies were well intentioned and spoke in support of ADA," said NCD Chairperson Marca Bristo, "NCD's firm conclusion is that chronic under-funding and under-staffing of responsible agencies, undue caution, and the absence of a coherent strategy have undermined federal enforcement of ADA in its first decade."

NCD also concluded that:

Although Congress has recently increased funding for some agencies' ADA enforcement activities, the long period of inadequate funding by Congress has taken its toll on ADA.
The Department of Justice has not exercised enough oversight in tracking Title II complaints, and other agencies have not sufficiently cooperated with Justice in preparing and referring cases that would advance the interpretation of ADA.

NCD's recommendations include the development of robust and assertive leadership by the Department of Justice in developing a coherent national strategy for enforcement in implementing ADA and strengthening ADA discrimination complaint handling by the departments of Justice and Transportation, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the ADA Title II referral agencies.

"We believe that with sufficient resources and a uniform federal agency plan to implement and enforce the ADA, the nation will benefit substantially," said Ms. Bristo. "We consider Promises to Keep to be the blueprint for the incoming Administration."

NCD is an independent federal agency representing all people with disabilities, regardless of severity, from all cultural backgrounds. NCD makes recommendations to the President and Congress on disability policy. For more information, contact Mark S. Quigley at 202272-2008 or visit NCD's award-winning Web site (http://www.ncd.gov).

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