ADA of 1990 (S. 933)

Full breakdown available

This pages provides a high-level overview of this law. For full list of provisions, line-item appropriations, and specific funding allocations, please view our detailed breakdown.

View breakdown

Summary

Creates a national rule to stop unfair treatment of people with disabilities in jobs, public services, and other areas of life.

What problem does this solve?

People with disabilities faced widespread, unfair treatment in jobs, housing, and public life, and often had no legal way to fight back. This law provides strong, clear, and enforceable rules to end this discrimination and ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities.

What does this law do?

Prohibits employment discrimination

Forbids employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in hiring, firing, pay, and other job-related activities.

Requires reasonable accommodations at work

Mandates that employers provide reasonable changes to help an employee with a disability do their job, unless it would cause the business significant difficulty or expense.

Makes public services accessible

Requires state and local governments to ensure people with disabilities can access and participate in their programs, services, and activities.

Mandates accessible public transportation

Requires that new public buses, trains, and rail stations be made accessible for individuals with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs.

Bans discrimination in public accommodations

Prohibits private businesses open to the public, like stores, restaurants, and hotels, from discriminating against individuals with disabilities.

Sets standards for new construction

Requires newly built or altered public accommodations and commercial facilities to be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

Establishes telecommunications relay services

Requires telephone companies to provide services that allow people with hearing or speech impairments to communicate over the phone with others.

Prohibits retaliation

Makes it illegal to punish, threaten, or interfere with anyone for exercising their rights under this law or helping someone else do so.

Excludes certain conditions from disability definition

Clarifies that conditions like current illegal drug use, transvestism, homosexuality, and compulsive gambling are not considered disabilities under this act.

Who does this affect?

Individuals with disabilities
Employers
State and local governments
Private businesses open to the public

What is the real world impact?

•

Ensures equal opportunity

Aims to give people with disabilities the same chances as everyone else in jobs, public life, and the economy, as stated in the law's goals.

•

Reduces costs of dependency

Recognizes that unfair treatment costs the country billions in lost productivity and dependency. This law helps people with disabilities become more self-sufficient.

When does this start?

The law's different sections become effective at various times, generally starting 18 to 24 months after it was signed on July 26, 1990.

Employment rules

Title I, covering employment, takes effect 24 months after the law is signed.

Public services rules

Title II, covering public services, takes effect 18 months after the law is signed.

Public accommodations rules

Title III, covering private businesses, takes effect 18 months after the law is signed.

Telecommunications relay services

Telephone companies must provide relay services within 3 years of the law being signed.

New construction accessibility

Facilities built for first use more than 30 months after the law is signed must be accessible.

Intercity rail car accessibility

Providers of intercity rail must have at least one accessible passenger car per train within 5 years.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990