👩🏾‍⚖️ap us government review

Americans with Disabilities Act

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Verified for the 2027 exam
Verified for the 2027 examWritten by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025

Definition

Prohibits discrimination against people with physical or mental impairments in employment, public services, and places of public accommodation, and requires reasonable modifications and accessibility measures by private businesses and government programs. Enacted in 1990 using Congress’s Commerce Clause and Fourteenth Amendment enforcement powers, it established nationwide nondiscrimination standards that altered federal–state responsibilities and produced key Supreme Court rulings such as Olmstead and Tennessee v. Lane.

AP course connection

Topic 3.11: 3.11 Government Responses to Social Movements

Unit 3

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