ADA

Definition

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The ADA was enacted in 1990 to ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
2. The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities, unless doing so would cause undue hardship.
3. The ADA covers a wide range of disabilities, including physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, mental health, and chronic health conditions.
4. The ADA prohibits discrimination in all aspects of employment, including job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.
5. The ADA also requires that public entities and public accommodations be accessible to individuals with disabilities, including providing auxiliary aids and services to ensure effective communication.

Review Questions

• Explain how the ADA promotes equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
  • The ADA's employment provisions, known as Title I, prohibit discrimination in all aspects of employment, including hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, and training. Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities, such as modifying the work environment or job duties, unless doing so would cause undue hardship. This helps ensure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the workforce and achieve their full potential.
• Describe the ADA's requirements for public entities and public accommodations to be accessible to individuals with disabilities.
  • The ADA requires that public entities, such as government agencies and public transportation, as well as public accommodations, like businesses, restaurants, and hospitals, be accessible to individuals with disabilities. This includes providing auxiliary aids and services to ensure effective communication, such as sign language interpreters or assistive listening devices. Additionally, public entities and public accommodations must remove architectural barriers and provide accessible features, like ramps, wide doorways, and accessible parking, to enable individuals with disabilities to fully participate in and benefit from the services and facilities.
• Analyze how the ADA's definition of disability and the concept of reasonable accommodation work together to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities.
  • The ADA's definition of disability, which covers a wide range of physical and mental impairments that substantially limit major life activities, ensures that a diverse array of individuals are protected from discrimination. The requirement for employers to provide reasonable accommodations, such as modifying the work environment or job duties, further reinforces the ADA's goal of enabling individuals with disabilities to participate fully in the workforce. This interplay between the definition of disability and the reasonable accommodation mandate is crucial in addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by people with disabilities, allowing them to access the same opportunities and achieve the same level of success as their non-disabled peers.

Related terms

Reasonable Accommodation: A modification or adjustment to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done that enables a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities.

Disability: A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment.

Title I: The employment provisions of the ADA, which prohibit discrimination in all aspects of employment, including job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.