Americans with Disability Act (ADA)

What is the ADA?

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a wide-ranging law that seeks to ensure access and prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities.

Generally speaking, the ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in:

• Employment

• Housing

• Education

• Access to public services

An individual is considered to have a disability and be protected by the ADA if s/he:

• Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.

• Has a record of impairment.

• Is regarded as having such an impairment.

An impairment includes physical disorders, such as cosmetic disfigurement or loss of a limb, as well as mental and psychological disorders.

Other individuals who are protected in certain circumstances include

1. those, such as parents, who have an association with an individual known to have disability
2. those who are coerced or subjected to retaliation for assisting people with disabilities in asserting their rights under the ADA.

For further information visit the Americans with Disabilities Act Topics of Interest page or contact the US Department of Justice at:

ADA.gov
US Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
PO Box 66738
Washington, DC 20025
(800) 514-0301 (Voice)
(800) 514-0383 (TTY)