The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. The ADA is also falls under the purview of labor law, specifically disability law. The ADA is divided in three titles:
- Employment,
- State and local government, and
- Public accommodations and commercial facilities.
The ADA sets out rules that prohibits discrimination in all areas of public life. The aim of the ADA is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
The ADA was established after people with disabilities challenged the societal barriers that lead them to be excluded from society due to their disabilities, and when parents of children with disabilities started fighting against the exclusion of their children. The ADA sets rules to guarantee that people with disabilities enjoy the same guarantees as everyone else in terms of employee rights. It also establishes rules regarding employer’s responsibilities. The ADA includes rules protecting job seekers who are disabled by setting rules relating to the hiring of people with disabilities and to their job search process. Moreover, the ADA addresses job accommodations for people with disabilities.
See: 42 U.S. Code § 12101 and ADA.gov
[Last updated in June of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]