How to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act

Abstract

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a federally approved piece of legislation, designed to stop discrimination and to afford equal opportunities to those who are disabled. The Americans with Disabilities Act helps to protect against discrimination for persons who have physical or mental disabilities that limit their daily activities. The ADA provides legal options for persons with disabilities to address discrimination based on their disability. The goal of the ADA is to provide civil rights protection to persons of disability in the areas of employment, access to public services, public and private transportation, and telecommunication services. Over the last decade the ADA has helped many Americans overcome their handicap and reach their goals. Prior to 1990, there was only one major federal law providing protection to those with disabilities. It is entitled the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Surprisingly, the act only covers Federal Government employees and employees of federally funded programmes. The Americans with Disabilities Act intends to reach a much larger group suffering discrimination because of their handicap.

Citation

Brooks, R. and Kleiner, B.H. (2003), "How to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act", Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 22 No. 6/7, pp. 9-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610150310787568