Much has changed since 1990, when the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act became law.
While barriers remain, proponents argue the United States has become a more accommodating place in the two decades since President George H.W. Bush signed the historic act affording civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities.
What hasn't changed is the debate over the costs of ADA to businesses -- especially smaller firms. While research suggests workplace accommodation comes with minimal expense, organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce assert the act, particularly its provision involving commercial enterprises, has had a significant financial impact on business.
"Reasonable" accommodations vary and, intrinsically, so do the costs. From changing door knobs and building ramps to hiring personal assistants or providing flexible scheduling, the expense can range from a few dollars to thousands.
So what's the truth? It depends.
On the job
Peter D. Blanck has extensively researched the impacts of ADA. In a collaborative study, published in 2006, the Syracuse professor and his colleagues argue there is little empirical evidence to support the assertion that workplace accommodation costs are "burdensome" for the employer.
Critics, the study claims, argue reasonable accommodation "creates an employment privilege or subsidy for individuals with disabilities. "This presumes, all else being equal, that the net costs of accommodations exceed the benefits to employers and individuals with disabilities."
Not so, said Blanck, chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse and former University of Iowa professor.
A Job Accommodation Network study found the median cost of workplace accommodations was $200, with one-fifth of the cases examined involving no costs. While the study is dated, Blanck said the figures pretty much hold today.
More important, Blanck said, the JAN survey found employers who hired candidates with disabilities enjoyed extensive, indirect benefits -- far outweighing the cost of accommodation.
"The broader picture to consider is in the area of workplace life," he said. "ADA is an anti-discrimination law meant to level the playing field, but you shouldn't necessarily assume with that civil right comes cost. There's no doubt that in certain cases costs come with implementation, but the result is a qualified worker who is very loyal and productive and maintains a job for the employer."