We began to look at the above issue today and we will continue with this topic next week. The movement for Americans with disabilities began in the mid-1900s, inspired by the success of the women's and African American civil rights movements. The movement gained speed when different sections of individuals with disabilities all united for the common cause. A big motivation for the movement was because of physical barriers. During this era, the buildings that we would enter into only had stairs, walkways weren't always cleared and there were not always large hallways. This created a significant number of physical barriers for people with visual, physical, or hearing disabilities. The Architectural Barriers Act, passed in 1968, mandated federally constructed buildings and facilities to be accessible to people with physical disabilities. Interestingly, President Kennedy had a personal interest in the creation of laws to protect Americans with physical and/or mental challenges as he had an older sister who had special needs.