celebrating 30 years of the ADA
T
he Futur e
Looking Ahead Through a Changing Economy and Environment
ISSUE 3 2020 | CAPITOL IDEAS
by Sydney Geiger, Christina Gordley, Jacob Blevins and Jorden Jones
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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has made a tremendous impact on the lives of people with disabilities over the past 30 years, and the work will not stop here. As America continues to advance, states must ensure that they are creating accessible and inclusive environments for people with disabilities. Looking to the future, it will be important to consider how innovations in technology, social and environmental factors and changes to the economy will impact people with disabilities. And as the nation faces the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, states must continue to recognize the effects it is having on each population, including people with disabilities.
Automation and Technology Changes in and the adoption of automation and technology in the workplace has created a shift in the type, quality and number of jobs across the country. These changes have transformed the workplace and impacted the nature of work and skills workers need. While, in some cases, technology can be harnessed to reduce barriers to employment — such as the use of assistive technologies and more accessible transportation — technological advances can cause unintentional barriers for people with disabilities. These may include algorithm bias and poorly designed, inacces-
