The Institute’s Influence on Legislative Policy

Americans with Disabilities Act. The AIA “played a significant role in developing the ADA legislation, initiating and shaping a number of provisions that should make the law more workable for architects, employers, and building owners. Those provisions include the treatment of historic properties, alterations to existing buildings, and the alignment of existing state and local buildings codes with the act,” writes the editor of Architecture magazine in 1990. The AIA Memo reported, “The ADA will have a profound impact on the design and construction of new public and commercial buildings, as well as the alteration of existing structures. The act is designed to end discrimination of people with disabilities in employment and at workplaces.

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