Minnesota and the ADA | Minnesota Council On Disability

Milestones in Minnesota History Since the ADA

The Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities compiled a timeline of milestones in disability history from the passage of the ADA until the 20th anniversary in 2010. The full timeline can be found on their website. Here are a few highlights of the Minnesota milestones:

1995: Minnesota passed the Insurance Parity Law that prohibited state-regulated health plans that provided coverage for mental health or chemical dependency services from placing greater restrictions on behavioral health services than on comparable physical health services.
1997: Minnesota passed the Patient Protection Act that required licensed health maintenance organizations (HMOs) to provide consumers with information about standing referrals, continuity of care and reimbursement arrangements between health plans and providers.
2009: Minnesota passed legislation that required the state to adopt the federal accessible technology standards from Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, and to establish an advisory committee to further establish standards for accessibility and usability of technology in Minnesota.
2010: The Minnesota Legislature passed and Governor Pawlenty approved Resolution 4, House File 1680 which apologized to “all persons with mental illness and developmental and other disabilities who have been wrongfully committed to state institutions.” The resolution expressed regret for the history of institutionalization of people with disabilities in Minnesota including the practices of forced labor and involuntary sterilization.

MSCOD is compiling a list of Minnesotans who attended the signing of the ADA. Below is just a partial list of attendees: