The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law 30 years ago. Here’s what it achieved, and where it still falls short.

One of the most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. The act was written to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities and was packed with intentionally broad implications on everything from hiring practices to access to government services, and from discrimination in housing to the design of sidewalks, bathrooms, and kitchen sinks.  

Some of the most meaningful stipulations of the ADA had to do with how disabled people moved through space: their places of work, parks, buses and trains—and, crucially, their homes. For architects and designers, it “unquestionably changed the way the built environment is designed,” says Donald Strum, a principal at Michael Graves Architecture & Design. Strum began practicing architecture in the 1980s and in recent years has focused on design services for the aging and physically disabled population. 

But the road to the ADA was long, complex, and arduous, paved with decades of discrimination; sit-ins and demonstrations in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.; protests inside and in front of the Capitol Building; and the very real, physical injustices presented by design and architecture. 

Many trace the act’s origins back to the 1960s and ’70s, when the United States was undergoing deinstitutionalization—an era in which the government stopped funding state-run psychiatric hospitals and instead focused on federally funded community mental health centers. The policy, which helped cut government budgets, meant that its patients, who were usually diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability, were instead cared for in a much more public environment: at home, in halfway houses and clinics, or in local hospitals.

The public wasn’t ready for this transition, however, says Valerie Fletcher, the executive director of the Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD)—both in terms of societal acceptance as well as physical and environmental preparation. By the 1970s, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act had passed, guaranteeing certain rights to people with disabilities, but it was primarily applicable in federally funded programs. The IHCD, she explains, was founded in 1978 with the idea that “accessible design was a necessary addition to our understanding of civil rights.”

Most designers will tell you that, as much as we all love to watch home design shows, their prevalence has done them a bit of a disservice. Thanks to TV magic, the designers on those shows pull off projects with tight deadlines and shoestring budgets that would never fly in the real world.

Of course, every project is different. The best way to get a handle on an anticipated budget and duration is by asking potential designers for this information upfront. Don’t be afraid to reach out to more than one to get a realistic picture of what to expect.

Take the time to find the right fit

Not all designers are created equal. Like all of us, each designer has his or her own unique personal tastes, quirks and business practices. To make sure your project is a success, it’s important that you and your designer are on the same page with a lot of these details. You may need to interview a few before you find someone who’s the right fit.”It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.”

In the design world, this interview is called a consultation. It can be an in-person meeting or held over the phone, and it can be paid or unpaid. You can use this time to ask to see samples of the designer’s work, learn more about their process, and ask about business practices, such as their preferred methods for communication and billing.

You can also use this time to let the designer get to know you. Feel free to bring in a few photos or items you intend to use for design inspiration. Let the designer know about your specific quirks and personal preferences. By the end of the meeting, you should have a good sense of whether the two of you will work well together.

Final thoughts

For those who have never hired an interior designer before, the idea of doing so can feel out of reach, but it doesn’t need to be. We’ve created a first-timer’s guide to working with an interior designer to help you take the plunge. Use the advice in this post to make an informed decision as to whether hiring professional help is the right choice for you.

Want to elevate your kitchen in a big way? Consider the counters and cabinets. An inspired color combo or materials pairing can make a space sizzle.

The most stunning kitchens are a sum of their parts. They’re a mix of form and function, where color plays off natural light and small details are just as important as big appliances. When all of its details work in harmony, a kitchen becomes the hub of the home without even trying—there’s no other room that can so easily draw a crowd when done right.

Perhaps the parts that contribute most to a kitchen’s future success are its countertops and cabinets. These two components take up the most visual space in the room, and often define the rest of its aesthetic. So what makes for a winning duo? We collected our favorite countertop and cabinet combinations from past Dwell features to showcase all the ways in which these two features can determine the overall eye-catching quality of a kitchen. 

Whether you use them as inspiration for a future project or a simple reason to swoon, these projects prove that countertops and cabinets make or break a kitchen’s design success.  

The sun-filled kitchen of this Culver City, California home by Woods + Dangaran proves that durable materials can also make for a beautiful combination. White oak timber was selected for the cabinetry, and was paired with Caesarstone quartzite countertops. The neutral palette plays off the natural light, and provides a simple backdrop to the surrounding greenery.