What is the Americans with Disabilities Act?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law which was enacted in 1990. The law prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in areas such as employment, education, transportation, and communication.
Following is text from the Americans with Disabilites Act which describes the purpose of the law:
Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act-- (1) to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities; (2) to provide clear, strong, consistent, enforceable standards addressing discrimination against individuals with disabilities; (3) to ensure that the Federal Government plays a central role in enforcing the standards established in this Act on behalf of individuals with disabilities; and (4) to invoke the sweep of congressional authority, including the power to enforce the fourteenth amendment and to regulate commerce, in order to address the major areas of discrimination faced day-to-day by people with disabilities.
Information and Support
Many government agencies provide information and assistance related to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Following is a listing of internet links to agencies which can help.
Federal government:
- Department of Justice (http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm)
- Department of Education ( http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html)
- Department of Labor (http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/disability/ada.htm)
- Equal Opportunity Commission ( http://www.eeoc.gov/)
- Department of Transportation ( http://www.dot.gov/citizen_services/disability/disability.html)
- Federal Transit Administration (http://www.fta.dot.gov/civilrights/civil_rights_2360.html)
- Federal Communications Commission ( http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/)
- The Access Board ( http://www.access-board.gov/)
- Department of Health and Human Services ( http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/index.html)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/FHLaws/index.cfm)
Delaware government:
- Office of Human Relations (http://www.state.de.us/sos/hr/default.shtml)
- State Council on Persons with Physical Disabilities ( http://scpd.state.gov/)
Additional Resources
The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR ) has established ten regional centers to provide information, training, and technical assistance related to the ADA to employers, people with disabilities, and others. These centers are known as ADA & IT Technical Assistance Centers or Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTAC). Information is available by calling 1-800-949-4232 (V/TTY).
Follow these links for more information about the centers:
- ADA Technical Assistance Program - DBTAC -ADA & IT home page
http://www.dbtac.vcu.edu/ - DBTAC -ADA & IT Centers
http://www.dbtac.vcu.edu/centers.aspx - DBTAC: Mid-Atlantic ADA Center
http://www.adainfo.org/ - ADA Basic Building Blocks - Online training (project of the Regional DBTAC - ADA
& IT Centers)
http://www.adabasics.org/
Further Information
For further information about the Americans with Disabilities Act or services for persons with disabilities in Delaware, please contact the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities .
