The 2015 edition of this report, which fulfills NCD’s statutory mandate to annually report and make recommendations concerning the state of disability policy in the United States, holds special significance as the nation celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In recognition of this landmark legislation, NCD has dedicated this report to exploring how the ADA and other federal legislation has been put into practice by five specific state and local agencie including Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Health Equity; Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Office of Medicaid; and the Disability Policy Consortium
The report focuses on employment, education, health care, transportation, and housing, and demonstrates the impact of federal legislation and the critical role that disability advocates and state and local officials have played who translate the spirit and letter of the ADA and other federal legislation into practice. It also lays out NCD’s vision for the next 25 years of the ADA with specific policy recommendations.