The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA of 1990 is the best known of the laws that forbid
discrimination against HOH/LD persons. It extends the protection of
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to businesses and public
accommodations. It also requires that state and local governments be
accessible, and that telecommunications relay service (TRS) be available
at all times.
For additional information, visit the Department
of Justice Ada Home Page.
To learn how to become compliant with ADA visit the ADA
Compliance Guide.
The Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) deals with issues relating
to ADA Title 1 (Employment).
The Disability
Rights Section of the Department of Justice deals with issues
relating to ADA Title II (State and Local Government) and Title III
(Public Accommodations).
The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) deals with issues relating to ADA
Title 4 (Telecommunications Relay Service).
Additional information on
the state relay services, including how relay works and the state relay
telephone numbers, is discussed in the articles on state
relay services.
In February 2000, the constitutionality of Title 2 of the ADA was
challenged by two states. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear these Ada
Challenges.
May 2000 - More challenges to the ADA, this one from California.
May 2000 - Now some of our esteemed representatives are trying to
weaken the already anemic enforcement aspects of the ADA. Read about the
administration opposition to the ADA Notification
Act.
June 2000 - Yet another ADA challenge in the news. This one involves
Clint Eastwood his response to a suit alleging that his Carmel inn is
inaccessible. This story, featuring an article by Sue Hodges, won't make
your day.
Sept 2000 - There has been a lot of talk on the internet lately about
the impact of the "mitigating measures" decision on the
application of the ADA. Here are my thoughts on Mitigating
Measures and the ADA.
November 2000 - A US Appeals Court declares state and local
governments exempt from the ADA. Here's the story.
February 2001 - The US Supreme Court has ruled that the ADA is not
applicable to state and local governments. This is a blow to all people with
disabilities, including those with hearing loss. Read
our thoughts and the thoughts of some of our readers, as well as those
of the NAD.
May 2001 - The ADA and other disability legislation is under
increasing attack in recent months. One of the recent decisions concerns
the question of whether a corrected disability is still
a disability.
July 2001 - "The ADA has been abused by a bunch of people who
just don't want to work." "The ADA requires businesses to
provide interpreters for Deaf people." Myths or facts? It turns out
that there are a lot of myths about the ADA and what it's effects have
been. This article on ADA Myths and Facts will
help straighten out all the misunderstandings.
July 2001 - Several months ago we published an article about the ADA
Notification Act, which is an attempt to further weaken the ADA
(Americans with Disabilities Act). I know that many people in the
disability community consider the ADA to be a hugely successful law that
has greatly contributed to equivalent access. My opinion is that it's
really political window dressing, because it contains no enforcement
mechanism. Why anyone thinks it should be weakened further is beyond me.
This ADA Notification Fact Sheet provides some
information on the ADA Notification Act.
January 2002 - Restrictions on ADA Application a Positive Development
May 2002 - Court Limits ADA Application
June 2002 - Supreme Court Further Narrows ADA
July 2002 - What's going on with the ADA? Donna Sorkin, former SHHH
president, presented a workshop entitled "The
New ADA Guidelines and SHHH". This SHHH Convention workshop
focused specifically on the Access Board recommendations for the new ADA
Guidelines.
August 2002 - ADA Awareness
At All-Time High
January 2003 - The recent lawsuit regarding providing appropriate
access at two California universities demonstrates why
some people oppose the ADA.
February 2003 - Want a quick overview of the ADA? Then ADA
at a Glance should fit the bill nicely.
February 2003 - Here's an interesting ADA case. Should
a nurse be allowed to bring her hearing dog to the hospital?
February 2003 - As part of President Bush's New Freedom Initiative,
the EEOC is promoting Telecommuting as an ADA
Accommodation.
April 2003 - When is an employee not an employee? When counting him
would put a company over the 15 employee threshold that requires them to
be ADA-compliant. Here's how the Supreme Court
continues to narrow ADA application.
December 2003 - Check this out if you're interested in free
online ADA training.
March 2004 - Remember the ADA Notification Act? It's
BAAAACK!
May 2004 - The Supreme Court has been restricting ADA rights for
several years. Now they've reached a decision that
SUPPORTS your rights under the ADA.
July 2004 - If you read the newspapers and watch evening news, you
may think that ADA cases tend to be brought by people with questionable
disabilities making questionable demands. But there are lots of
legitimate cases, as well. Here are a few
descriptions of recent cases from the Justice Department.
October 2004 - Are you interested in playing a great game and
learning about the ADA at the same time? Or perhaps you'd like to try
out your advocacy skills in a simulated environment before plunging into
the real world. Here's a great free online game that
allows you to do these things and more.
December 2004 - The National Council on Disability is
recommending legislation to reverse the erosion of rights under the ADA.
July 2006 - President, Congress Fail to Lead on
ADA Restoration Act
July 2006 - Civil Rights Division Commemorates ADA
Anniversary
July 2006 - EEOC Publication Addresses Employment
Rights of People with Hearing Loss
October 2006 - Bipartisan Legislation Introduced
to Restore ADA Protections
October 2006 - U.S. Gets Agencies to Adapt for
Disabled
February 2007 - Free ADA Basics Course
Available
December 2007 - ADA Restoration Opponents Step up
Efforts
January 2008 - Witnesses Call on House Labor
Committee to Pass ADA Restoration Act
February 2008 - Supporting the ADA Restoration Act
of 2007
February 2008 - NCD Response to Arguments Opposing
ADA Restoration Act
June 2008 - DOJ Proposes New Rules to Implement the
ADA
June 2008 - Plan Seeks More Access for
Disabled
June 2008 - House Judiciary Committee Unanimously
Passes ADA Restoration Act
July 2008 - NCD on ADA Amendments Act
July 2008 - Must your business accommodate a
customer's pig on a leash?
September 2008 - ADA Amendments Act will Restore
Vital Civil Rights Protections for Americans with Disabilities
September 2008 - ADA Restoration Act to
Become Law
October 2008 -
Jury
finds federal rules on hearing aids discriminate
