Disabled Community Decries Growing Straw Ban

Starbucks has joined the bandwagon, announcing July 9 that it will eliminate plastic straws from its 28,000 stores worldwide by 2020 and instead offer a plastic strawless lid that some have dubbed “the adult sippy cup."

While recognizing the foodservice industry's eco-friendly shifts are a milestone for the environment, activists for the disabled are calling it a significant step back from the Americans With Disabilities Act. Many members of the disabled community cannot drink without straws and rely on the resilience and flexibility of plastic ones over the alternatives, such as paper, biodegradable plastic, metal or silicone. The ADA was signed into law in 1990 to remove barriers and combat discrimination against people with disabilities, and guarantee inclusion and accessibility