U.S. consumers with disabilities satisfied with disability rights law.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Consumer interests of people with disabilities have been well served by the Americans with Disabilities Act though there is more to be done.

A study published in the March issue of the Journal of Consumer Affairs present the perspectives of people with disabilities regarding the ADA on their lives.

The study of 1000 noninstitutionalized persons with disabilities found that respondents who believe they have greater access to the marketplace are more satisfied with life and the more consumers with disabilities interact in the market place, the more satisfied with life they are.

"This indicates the value behind efforts designed to empower consumers with disabilities by offering services that assist them ... and by creating environments that enable them to experience full participation in society," the authors Carol Kaufman-Scarborough and Stacey Menzel Baker state.

Among the findings are

* more than half (54.3%) of the respondents reported knowing about the ADA;

* Those who were aware were more likely to report positive changes and improvements over those who could not name it or were unaware of a law.

Yet, the respondents' level of life satisfaction did not vary with their awareness of the ADA. The author's find that the legislation is beneficial and that access to public facilities has an impact on life satisfaction. "However our findings do indicate that the implementation of the ADA is incomplete, especially educating consumers with disabilities about their consumer rights," the authors concluded.

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