Seniors And Americans With Disabilities
The Gray Panthers is an organization of intergenerational activists working to change laws and attitudes for social and economic justice. Some of the many issues they have tackled include peace, health care, jobs, housing, ageism, sexism, racism, media stereotyping, family security, the environment and campaign reform.
Throughout the 1970s and early '80s the Gray Panthers grew into a national organization comprised of local networks. In 1981, they gained official NGO (Nongovernmental Organization) status at the United Nations. In 1985, they opened their first public policy office in Washington, D.C., where they relocated their headquarters in
1990. Advocacy for the national health care system remained a priority for the group.
In 1995, one month after the Panthers' 10th biennial convention honoring her legacy,
Maggie Kuhn died in her sleep. Since Kuhn's death, Gray Panthers from ages 9 to 93 continue to fight for welfare-workfare reform, health care, education and economic justice. In recent years, they have scored major victories for consumers in their fight for accessible Medicare information for seniors. The Gray Panthers have also taken on big drug companies on a range of issues to hold corporations accountable and ensure that all consumers have access to safe and affordable prescription drugs.

Maggie Kuhn
Maggie Kuhn attended the Western Reserve
University in Cleveland, Ohio, where she majored in English literature with a minor in sociology and
French. In 1930, she became head of the professional department at the Young Women's
Christian Association in Philadelphia, believing that a group could empower an individual and help her find meaning and purpose. For the next 25 years,
Kuhn worked as writer, editor, and program coordinator for the United Presbyterian Church, focusing on race relations, housing, the aged, and medical care. Forced into retirement at age 65,
Kuhn and a group of like-minded people formed the
Consultation of Older and Younger Adults for
Social Change —later the Gray Panthers—to address the problems of retirees. The Gray
Panthers were responsible for the enactment of the
1978 Age Discrimination in Employment Act that raised the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 70.
AARP
Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired high school principal, founded AARP in 1958. AARP evolved from the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA), which Dr. Andrus had established in 1947 to promote her philosophy of productive aging, and in response to the need of retired teachers for health insurance.
At that time, private health insurance was virtually unavailable to older Americans; in fact, it was not until
1965 that the government enacted Medicare, which provides health benefits to persons over age 65. Dr.
Andrus approached dozens of insurance companies until she found one willing to take the risk of insuring older persons. She then developed other benefits and programs, including a discount mail order pharmacy service. Since its inception in 1958, AARP has grown and changed dramatically in response to societal changes, while remaining true to its founding principles:
 To promote independence, dignity and purpose for older persons
 To enhance the quality of life for older persons
 To encourage older people "To serve, not to be served"

The Americans With Disabilities Act
The
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities that are like those provided to individuals on the basis of race, sex, national origin, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, State and local government services, and telecommunications.
The ADA is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to
Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and other characteristics illegal. Disability is defined by the ADA as "...a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity." The determination of whether any particular condition is considered a disability is made on a case by case basis.
Certain specific conditions are excluded as disabilities, such as current substance abuse and visual impairment that is correctable by prescription lenses.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
(ADA) is a law that was enacted by the U.S.
Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26,
1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009.
On September 25, 2008, President George W.
Bush signed the ADA Amendments Act of
2008 (ADAAA) into law. This was intended to give broader protections for disabled workers and "turn back the clock" on court rulings that
Congress deemed too restrictive

Famous Quotes Of Seniors and Americans With Disabilities Mission Statements
Winning Back Opportunities for the Struggling
AARP
Old age is not a disease - it is strength and survivorship, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments, trials and illnesses.
Maggie Kuhn
Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind - even if your voice shakes.
Maggie Kuhn
By the year 2020, the year of perfect vision, the old will outnumber the young.
Maggie Kuhn
AARP knows the future is bright for a generation that's going to remain healthy and vital for 10, 20, 30, 40 more years. AARP has the information and resources people need throughout their process of reinvention.
Jane Pauley
The human contribution is the essential ingredient. It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.
Ethel Percy Andrus
It's not our disabilities, it's our abilities that count.
Chris Burke