The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark civil rights statute that has broken many barriers for millions of Americans with disabilities. It has had a positive impact by ensuring equal opportunity, independence, and full participation of people with disabilities in American society.

The Past

Prior to 1988, when the first ADA was introduced to Congress, individuals with disabilities began to challenge societal barriers that excluded them from their communities. For example, parents of children with disabilities began to fight against the segregation and exclusion of their children within all aspects of daily life. People with disabilities and advocates sat in federal buildings, obstructed the movement of inaccessible buses, and marched through the streets to protest injustice. As a result of their tenacious advocacy, Congress passed the ADA in 1990.

The purpose of the ADA is to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities. More specifically, it prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunication.