Sadly, George H.W. Bush – the 41st President of the United States – died on November 30, 2018. One of his accomplishments was his signing into law the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 USC § 12101 et seq., on July 26, 1990.
The ADA – which was amended/overhauled in 2008 – is a significant federal law that prohibits discrimination based on “disability” in the areas of, e.g., employment and public accommodations.
In pertinent part, it provides:
No covered entity shall discriminate against a qualified individual on the basis of disability in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. 42 U.S.C. § 12112.
It also, inter alia, requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” to employees with disabilities.
Regardless of how you view 41‘s politics – and notwithstanding his other decisions, such as vetoing the Civil Rights Act of 1990, that were not so employee-friendly – it is indisputable that his signing the ADA into law is a significant and positive contribution to the fabric of American civil rights law.