(KAIR)--Kansas Governor Laura Kelly Tuesday commemorated the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Signing a proclamation celebrating the July 26 anniversary, a release from Kelly’s office says her actions also commemorated the role that late Republican Kansas Senator Bob Dole played in seeing the passage of what the release calls a “historic law that expanded civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities.”

Kelly, in the release, recalls first meeting Dole when she lobbied at the state and federal level to pass such protections. She calls Doles efforts “tireless” in his work to pass the ADA, ensuring that “Americans with disabilities were afforded equal rights and opportunities.”

On July 26, 1990, President H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law, prohibiting discrimination in employment, public places, and businesses.

Senator Dole led the ADA’s development and passage along with many Kansas advocates.

The ADA has evolved to provide expanded protections and access to people with disabilities since the time it was originally signed into law.