Public Law 101-336 (Americans with Disabilities Act)
The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President H. W. Bush. This law forbids discrimination in both public and private settings against anyone with disabilities. The ADA has a broad definition of who is disabled, and includes some groups who have never been included under this heading before. For example, persons with AIDS, cosmetic disfigurements, and people who have successfully completed substance abuse programs are protected under this law. In short, the ADA covers anyone with an impairment that substantially limits any major life activity. Local and state governments, private sector employers, transportation programs and public and privately owned accommodations are all subject to its rulings. Some of the requirements of conformation to the ADA are:
-all public transportation systems must have accommodations to transport citizens with disabilities
-telephone companies must provide relay services to individuals with hearing or speech impairments
-public places, such as fast food restaurants, dentists offices, hotels, retail stores and banks must be accessible to persons with disabilities or alternate services much be provided
-employers of more than 15 people must make accommodations for employees with disabilities, including Braille keyboards for individuals with sight impairments, or wider doorways to allow for wheelchair access. Also, an employee cannot be fired solely based on a disability, and an applicant to a job cannot be overlooked or turned down because of a disability.
-all public transportation systems must have accommodations to transport citizens with disabilities
-telephone companies must provide relay services to individuals with hearing or speech impairments
-public places, such as fast food restaurants, dentists offices, hotels, retail stores and banks must be accessible to persons with disabilities or alternate services much be provided
-employers of more than 15 people must make accommodations for employees with disabilities, including Braille keyboards for individuals with sight impairments, or wider doorways to allow for wheelchair access. Also, an employee cannot be fired solely based on a disability, and an applicant to a job cannot be overlooked or turned down because of a disability.
Public Law 110-325 (the Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008)
In September of 2008, President Bush and Congress made legal PL 110-325, the 2008 Amendments to the ADA. In short, this amendment broadens the scope of the term "disability" as it pertains to the ADA. It now includes "activities not expressly stipulated" such as reading, concentrating and thinking, and major bodily functions, including immune system or neurological disorders. However, the law also stipulates that an individual may not be eligible for protection of his or her disability is minor or temporary, lasting six months or less.
The idea behind the amendment is to ensure closer collaboration between Section 504 coordinators and IDEA coordinators, and to give students with disabilities all the rights and protections they are entitled to.
The idea behind the amendment is to ensure closer collaboration between Section 504 coordinators and IDEA coordinators, and to give students with disabilities all the rights and protections they are entitled to.
Why We Comply with this Law
The ADA and Section 504 are similar in many ways, but the ADA is broader and carries more protections. Section 504 pertains to any federally funded program, but the ADA pertains to pretty much everything. Americans with disabilities are protected from corporations both large and small, public and private, from employers who may not want to hire a secretary who is well qualified but deaf, from dentists and doctors whose offices are not on the ground floor, from city transportation that does not accommodate wheelchairs, and from business who may not want to give over valuable parking lot real estate to handicapped parking places, just to name a few. All people have the right to be treated equally, and not accommodating a customer, patient or student who is not able to climb stairs or read your menu is not very much different from not accommodating someone because they are black or poor. Americans ended segregation in the 1960's. The ADA ended a different type of segregation and thoughtlessness in 1990.