Final answer:
The passage emphasizes that people with disabilities should have equal rights to participate in society, highlighting the discrimination they have faced and the laws like the ADA that seek to combat this.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main point of the passage is that people with disabilities should be treated equally and have the right to participate fully in all societal aspects, despite having faced widespread discrimination in the past.
Laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) were enacted to prevent discrimination and provide necessary accommodations, ensuring access and opportunities in public accommodations, employment, education, and other areas of public life.
The effort to eliminate such discrimination and promote equality is evidential in the changes to public policy and civil rights protections explicitly aimed at supporting people with mental and physical disabilities.