ADA Accessibility Standards (Americans with Disabilities Act)
Introduction
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (in English: Americans with Disabilities Act, abbreviated ADA for its acronym in English)[1] was enacted by the United States Congress under the full title of "An Act Clearly and Comprehensively Prohibiting Discrimination on the Basis of Disability."[note 1] It was signed on July 26, 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. In 2008, during the government of his son George W. Bush, several reforms were added to it, which came into effect on January 1, 2009.[2].
The ADA is a broad civil rights law that prohibits, in certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability. The law offers similar protection against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964,[3] which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, sex, "gender (social sciences)," and other characteristics, and later sexual orientation. The law defines disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.” The determination of whether any condition is considered a disability is made on a case-by-case basis. Certain conditions are excluded, such as substance abuse and vision impairment that can be corrected with prescription lenses.
On September 25, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act of 2008 (ADAAA) into law. This was intended to give greater protection to disabled workers and "turn back the clock" on court rulings that Congress found too restrictive.[4] The ADAAA includes a list of major life activities, including, but not limited to, "caring for oneself, performing manual labor, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating and working", as well as performing various important bodily functions that are also specified.[5].
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is a law in the United States that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in public areas. The ADA establishes accessibility standards and requires that reasonable accommodations be made to enable people with disabilities to fully enjoy the same rights and opportunities as others. The law covers a wide range of areas, such as employment, access to public buildings and services, transportation and communications. The primary goal of the ADA is to promote equal opportunity and full participation of people with disabilities in society.