Awareness and Perceived Impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act Among Human Resources Professionals in Three Minnesota Cities

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 created a flurry of activity among human resource professionals striving to comply with the new law. Since that time, there have been editorials, articles, reports, surveys, celebrations, and even a congressional hearing regarding the effect and effectiveness of the law. The dominant theme of those activities has been that the law is a positive influence, but much work remains to be done. To more objectively measure the influence of the law among human resource professionals, surveys were mailed to the employment managers of 197 randomly chosen businesses in three Minnesota cities. The hypothesis that awareness and perceived impact of the law would be greater among human resource professionals in larger communities was not supported, but the hypothesis that awareness and impact would be greater in larger organizations was supported. Additional results regarding the frequency and type of training and accommodation responses made by organizations are also presented.