BrianGarst.com

The Americans with Disabilities Act is one of those bills that everyone praises, but has in reality resulted in numerous headaches and legal absurdities. Witness the latest example (hat-tip: Overlawyered):

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled today that the Washington Redskins must make all audio projected into the stadium bowl over the public address system accessible to deaf and hard of hearing fans. The court held that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires the Redskins to “provide auxiliary aids beyond assistive listening devices, which are useless to plaintiffs, to convey the: (1) game-related information broadcast over the public address system, including play information and referee calls; (2) emergency and public address announcements broadcast over the public address system; and (3) the words to music and other entertainment broadcast over the public address system.” The Court explained that the Redskins “provide more than a football game” and that deaf and hard of hearing fans “need access to this aural content to have full and equal access” to the game-day experience at FedExField, where the Redskins play their home games.

Should the blind also be allowed to wonder down and feel-up the cheerleaders? After all, they clearly can not equally participate in such visual entertainments. What about the deaf and blind? How will they get their football? Discrimination! And what if the deaf person does not speak English? How many languages must the lyrical subtitles be broadcast in? The list of questions over such a ridiculous requirement goes on and on.

A National Association of the Deaf spokesperson says, “The decision is a reaffirmation of the ADA’s goal of guaranteeing equal participation in all aspects of American life to individuals with disabilities.” If that is indeed the goal of the ADA, it should be repealed immediately. Such a task is not only contrary to the purpose of our government, it is impossible. “Equal participation in all aspects of American life” is an unreasonable standard that cannot be applied in a world of natural inequality.

The only equality people are entitled to is equality before the law. Equality of luxuries, entertainment, standard of living or happiness cannot be provided by government, and no government can even try without becoming a tyrannical regulator of all aspects of human life. Once it is realized that inequality cannot be realistically achieved through elevation of the have-not’s, government will instead systematically begin tearing down the have’s, leaving only the one equality government is capable of creating: equality of misery.

Americans with Disabilities Act