Understanding the Americans With Disabilities Act

Understanding the Americans With Disabilities Act is aimed at educating business owners, supervisors, municipal employees, and consumers about the Americans With Disabilities Act which was signed into law in 1990. The program defines disability, explains what the law requires in the way of reasonable accommodation, looks at tools which enhance the abilities of disabled employees (such as large display terminals and TTY machines), covers modifications which are required of public transportation systems, and discusses the priorities business and community personnel should follow in making their establishments fully accessible. Although much of the information is good, there are some problems. The music soundtrack is sometimes too loud, there is too much emphasis placed on transportation compared to the other topics, and a series of screens listing establishments affected by the law (virtually everyone) is pointless in its specificity. Finally, the definition of disability is rather fuzzy--at one point the program suggests that high blood pressure might be considered a disability. A much better (though three times as expensive) choice here would be A Video Guide to (Dis)Ability Awareness (VL-9/93). An optional purchase. (R. Pitman)