The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 promised to be a “secondgeneration” civil rights statute, comparable in importance and scope to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The breadth of the act reflected congressional and disability activists' desire to change society in order to enable the disabled to achieve economic autonomy and social equality. Historically, disabled individuals were characterized by their inability to normally function in society, either due to physical obstacles or social myths and stereotypes. Up until 1990, the federal government had taken baby steps to address these issues. Indeed, most federal activity was limited to assisting disabled people in overcoming physical barriers to employment. However, the government did little to change the structure of those barriers, and most certainly did not address the widespread social prejudice against the disabled.