Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. The ADA generally requires employers, state and local governments, and places of public accommodation to offer reasonable services or tools to insure that people are not discriminated against on the basis of a disability.

A debate began to rage about whether the ADA was applicable to the Web. The main theme of the argument was whether or not the Web could be considered a "place of public accommodation." The argument was cleared up when the U.S. Department of Justice ruled that it considers the Web just such a place.

The ADA gives persons with disabilities civil rights protections. These rights are similar to those provided to persons on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion.

The ADA guarantees equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in:

• Employment
• Federal, State and Local Government Services
• Public Accommodations
• Transportation
• Telecommunications
• Technology

Over the years, persons with disabilities have faced barriers to:

• Employment
• Public accommodations
• Public services
• Telecommunications
• Technology (Web, Software, Hardware and other)
• Transportation

The Americans with Disabilities Act was designed to break down these barriers to enable society to benefit from the skills and talents of persons with disabilities. We are an aging population and creating equal rights for persons with disabilities will allow us all to win. ADA can help persons with disabilities lead fuller and more productive lives.

Our accessibility experts, which consist of an interdisciplinary team of individuals with various disabilities, are ideally suited to serve as your ADA information resource center. Through an award-winning suite of accessibility solutions, we proudly serve as a subject matter experts and consultants for government, private industry and educational institutions. Read More.

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