People living with disabilities have gone through a number of challenges in the United States since the first legislation protecting them was crafted in 1916. However, the legislation was only meant for soldiers who were injured in the war. The legislation was referred to as the National Defense Act, which permitted the soldiers to be integrated in the society. Those with injuries would be provided with necessary support to enable them live a normal life. Before the legislation, soldiers were subjected to psychological trauma since no one cared for them even after fighting for their country. The 1916 legislation was milestone in the lives of people living with disabilities. In 1917, The Smith Hughes Act was introduced, which came up with a Federal-State Program. The program would provide essential services to those interested in understanding vocational training. The program targeted the veterans, who were languishing in great poverty after serving their nation with diligence. In 1918, another legislation referred to as The Smith-Sears Veterans Rehabilitation Act was crafted mainly to expand the services offered to the retirees.
The major legislation was passed in 1920 when The Smith-Fess Act was passed. The bill was referred to as The Civilian Rehabilitation Act because it was meant for the common citizen. The law allowed each disabled citizen to undertake a vocational course, training, and placement in the public and private sector. However, the law catered only for the physically challenged individuals. Those with social problems were not included in the program. In 1936, a major legislation was passed, which aimed at catering for the needs of the blind and other disabled groups. The law provided that the state had the responsibility of providing vocational training to those with potentials, irrespective of their nature of disability (Pruitt, 2007). The 1936 influenced the lives of people with disabilities in a number of ways. First, it encouraged them to seek for more attention from the government. It gave them an advantage in fighting for their constitutional rights. Secondly, it empowered people with disabilities because quite a number of them were able to seek for employment after receiving vocational training. In other words, the legislations passed before 1973 helped people with disabilities in coming up with strategies that would improve their standards of living.
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
In 1973, an important legislation was passed in the history of America because the disabled persons could no longer be left out in process of nation building. The act ensured that people with disabilities were not discriminated based on their nature of disability. The law eliminated barriers that prevented the disabled in society from achieving their career goals. For instance, it did way with architectural, employment and transportation barriers. Importantly, the law came up with affirmative action to ensure that the disabled are involved in governmental decision making. In particular, Section 504 was critical to the lives of people with disabilities (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2001). The section prohibited discriminations that were based on physical and psychological handicaps. The section ensured that all states received funds to cater for the disabled, irrespective of race, gender, age and religion. Moreover, the section provided that the federal and state facilities would offer critical information to clients through the Assistance Demonstration Projects. Individuals with major problems were given priority. This legislation had a great impact to the lives of disabled people because it encouraged them to engage in socio-economic development.
References
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2001). Gender Differences in Depression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(5), 173-176
Pruitt, I.T. (2007). Family Treatment Approaches for Depression in Adolescent Males. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 35, 69-81.