The Future of Disability Policy: Benefit Payments or Civil Rights?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) needs to be evaluated in the context of public programs that express disability policy. The older programs, which indemnify the income losses and health care costs associated with disability, are designed for persons who cannot work, as opposed to the ADA's objective of increasing employment. The tensions between the two approaches, the differences in the persons whom they serve, the conflicts between equity and efficiency goals, and some suggestions for future policies are the subjects of this article.