1. Parenting
About.com
Children With Special Needs

Discuss in my forum

Disability Rights Resources

Learn More About Disability Rights and Community Living

By , About.com Guide

People with disabilities are fighting for the right to participate equally in society, to be included in schools and in the workforce, and to have their lives valued as highly as anybody else's. These articles deal with the fight for disability rights, from the ADA to the protest against Million Dollar Baby and Tropic Thunder.

Americans With Disabilities Act

Student Walking and Another in a Wheelchair in a Corridor in a UniversityPhoto by Rayman/Getty Images

The Americans with Disabilities Act, which seeks to find a broader place for people with disabilities in U.S. businesses, workplaces and schools, became law on July 26, 1990. Learn about the law that requires organizations accepting public funds to make their buildings and their programs accessible to people with disabilities.

Readings on Disability Rights

Cover image courtesy of Brookes Publishing Co.

These books and websites give a good introduction to the challenges faced by the disabled in today's society and their fight to be respected rather than pitied.


Travelers With Disabilities

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Find information on accommodations and services offered to people with disabilities by:


Hot Topic: Euthanasia

Cover image courtesy of Random House

The much-debated case of Terri Schindler Schiavo is at heart a disability rights issue. Do people with severe disabilities have rights? Can those rights be waived? Who decides when a life no longer has value? Parents of children with special needs, as caretakers of the helpless and voiceless, need to make sure their children's rights are being respected. Here's a look at the issues involved.


Hot Topic: The R-Word

R-Word BadgeImage courtesy of Special Olympics

The 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder sparked a debate about the use of the words "retard" and "retarded" and a campaign to remove them from movies, TV, and acceptable social speech. 


Children's Perspectives

Winner of Arthur/All Kids Can Character Search

For a hopeful glimpse into the future, learn about artwork kids have created to give cartoon aardvark Arthur a friend with a disability and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ADA.



©2013 About.com. All rights reserved.