The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (P.L. 101-336) is the most comprehensive civil rights legislation adopted to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities. Public and private businesses, state and local government agencies, private entities offering public accommodations and services, transportation and utilities are required to comply with the law. The ADA was signed into law by President George Bush on July 26, 1990, extending civil rights protections to individuals with physical or mental disabilities.

The ADA protects:

- people who currently have a disability
- people who have a history of a disability
- people who are regarded as having a disability by others
- people who are not themselves disabled but who encounter discrimination on the basis of their association or relationship with a person who has a disability (parents of children with disabilities, for example)

The ADA explicitly prohibits:

- discrimination in employment (Title I)
- discrimination in the provision of state and local government programs, services and benefits (Title II)
- discrimination by private businesses, insurance providers and other entities that operate places of "public accommodation" (Title III)
- discrimination in telecommunications (Title IV)

The ADA is designed to integrate people with disabilities fully into the mainstream of American life. For more information, go to www.usdoj.gov.