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This page last updated on June 30, 2000
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The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Brief Overview
Signed into law on July 26 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act is a wide-ranging legislation intended to make American Society more accessible to people with disabilities.
It is divided into five titles:
1.Employment (Title I) Business must
provide reasonable accommodations to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities
in all aspects of employment. Possible changes may include restructuring jobs, altering
the layout of workstations, or modifying equipment. Employment aspects may include the
application process, hiring, wages, benefits, and all other aspects of employment. Medical
examinations are highly regulated.
2.Public Services (Title II) Public services, which include state and
local government instrumentalities, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, and other
commuter authorities, cannot deny services to people with disabilities participation in
programs or activities which are available to people without disabilities. In addition,
public transportation systems, such as public transit buses, must be accessible to
individuals with disabilities.
3.Public Accommodations (Title III) All new construction and modifications must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. For existing facilities, barriers to services must be removed if readily achievable. Public accommodations include facilities such as restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, retail stores, etc., as well as privately owned transportation systems.
4.Telecommunications (Title IV) Telecommunications companies offering telephone service to the general public must have telephone relay service to individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TTYs) or similar devices.
5.Miscellaneous (Title V) Includes a provision prohibiting either (a) coercing or threatening or (b) retaliating against the disabled or those attempting to aid people with disabilities in asserting their rights under the ADA.
The ADA's protection applies primarily, but not exclusively, to "disabled" individuals. An individual is "disabled" if he or she meets at least any one of the following tests:
1.He or she is substantially impaired with respect to a major life activity.
2.He or she has a record of such an impairment
3.He or she is regarded as having such an impairment.
Other individuals who are protected in certain circumstances include 1) those, such as parents, who have an association with an individual known to have a disability, and 2) those who are coerced or subjected to retaliation for assisting people with disabilities in asserting their rights under the ADA.
While the employment provisions of the ADA apply to employers of fifteen employees or more, its public accommodations provisions apply to all sizes of business, regardless of number of employees. State and local governments are covered regardless of size.
Here are some of the laws and other useful documents. Expect this section to go through radical changes soon. You may want to search for topics by keyword.
Contact Information:
ADA-OHIO
700 Morse Road, Suite 101
Columbus, OH 43214
614-844-5410
1-800-ADA-OHIO
TTY: 1-800-ADA-ADA1
614-844-5868
FAX: 614-844-5537
Email: adaohio@aol.com
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