Americans with Disabilities Act 25th Anniversary Timeline - Disability & Employment

Beginning of National Barrier-Free Standards

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1950

In the 1950s, disabled veterans and other people with disabilities begin the barrier-free movement. The combined efforts of the U.S. Veterans Administration, the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped and the National Easter Seals Society, among others, result in the development of national standards for "barrier-free" buildings.

A wooden wheelchair ramp, 1952. The University of Illinois was the first university to provide wheelchair access for disabled World War II veterans. — University of Illinois