A conversation with John Wodatch – Part 1

Speakers

Description:

John Wodatch, a nationally recognized civil rights attorney specializing in the rights of persons with disabilities, with over 40 years of experience in the federal government, joins Dr. Peter Blanck to discuss how and why Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act became a law and the nationwide recognition that disabled people deserve equal rights. He reflects on the impact of the law and its timing, coming at about the same time as the Independent Living movement of the 1970s. He describes how Section 504 built upon the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and advanced disability rights in critical and important ways.

Mr. Wodatch discusses the ongoing debate surrounding Section 504 and looks at several court decisions. He explains the fundamental principles behind the law and how it is the legal foundation that protects the rights of people with disabilities in the United States.

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Summary

• How and why Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act became a law and the nationwide recognition that disabled people deserve equal rights.
• The impact of 504 and its timing, coming at about the same time as the Independent Living movement of the 1970s.
• Section 504 built upon the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and advanced disability rights in critical and important ways.
• The ongoing debate surrounding Section 504 and looks at several court decisions.
• The fundamental principles behind the law and how it is the legal foundation that protects the rights of people with disabilities in the United States.
• Wodatch describes the pushback against Section 504 and how it was viewed as a threat to deregulation.
• Discussion of other legislation, such as the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
• He describes the political debate that arose over disability rights in the context of the HIV and AIDS epidemic and critical court cases, including Alexander v. Choate in 1985, that also helped disability rights.
• The social changes that occurred partly because of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the 1980s,
• “Although [Section] 504 was precedent-setting, important and foundational, it didn’t go far enough.” As Mr. Wodatch explains, policy makers first fought for a law that protected people with HIV and AIDS from discrimination and later for a law that addressed discrimination more broadly. This process eventually led to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.