Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Published February 2000

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336) provides wide-ranging civil-rights protection for people with disabilities in the areas of employment and accessibility to public and private services.

Disabilities include but are not limited to mobility, sight, hearing, speech, dexterity and mental or psychological disorders. Titles I-III of the ADA are of most interest to facilities professionals:

Title I_Employment
For all businesses with more than 15 employees, the law prohibits employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. In addition, the employer must adapt facilities to make the workplace physically accessible and safe for employees with disabilities.

Title II_State and local government services
State and local governments must ensure accessibility to all services, programs and activities. The subject of accessibility at existing facilities must be addressed immediately. Major structural changes may be postponed if resources are limited, but no later than January 26, 1995.

Title III_Public accommodations and services operated by private entities
All physical and communication barriers that prevent access to goods and services for people with disabilities must be removed. Public accommodations include places such as hotels, restaurants, theaters, doctors' offices, retail stores, etc.

In each of the cases above, the organization should have a barrier-removal plan that identifies barriers and addresses immediate or eventual removal. All new facilities and alterations to existing facilities must meet the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). These guidelines describe minimum accessibility requirements, including slope ratios for ramps, sidewalks and parking lots; door widths, operating force and hardware; bathroom space, fixtures and fixture locations; telephone accessibility, including provisions for hearing- or sight-impaired users; signage; visible and audible fire alarms; areas of "rescue assistance" and so forth

Although wide in scope, the ADA strives to be business-friendly. Changes to meet ADA guidelines must be "readily achievable," that is, they must not cause "undue burden" to a business. Businesses need not adhere strictly ADA guidelines if doing so would cause an unreasonable financial burden or significantly alter the nature of the business. However, a business must still meet the needs of people with disabilities using other methods_for instance, if automatic doors aren't feasible, an easily accessible door bell will suffice.

For more information, contact a regional Disability and Technical Assistance Center. For the one nearest you, call (800) 949-4232.

For a free copy of the ADAAG, contact the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board at (800) 872-2253.