Americans with Disabilities Act Focus on Veterans

The Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA), PL 101-336, is an unprecedented opportunity to eliminate the barriers to independence and productivity for 43 million citizens with disabilities, including 2.4 million disabled military veterans. The ADA is modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Purpose

The purpose of the ADA is to extend to people with disabilities, including disabled veterans, civil rights similar to those now available on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, and religion through the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in:

• private sector employment,
• services rendered by state and local governments,
• places of public accommodation,
• transportation,
• telecommunications services.

Employment

The ADA prohibits discrimination against a qualified individual with a disability in employment and includes specific features related to reasonable accommodation, qualification standards and other labor-management issues.

"No covered entity shall discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability because of the disability of such individual in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment."

Public Services

ADA addresses services and activities of State and local governments including actions applicable to public transportation provided by public entities. Transportation provisions of the Act are intended to improve access in equipment (buses, rail coaches), facilities and demand-response systems. Some of these requirements include: the purchase of new accessible public transportation equipment, special transportation services that are comparable to fixed-route services, modification of key existing facilities to assure access and inter-city and commuter-rail accessibility improvements.

"No qualified individual with a disability shall by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination by a department, agency, special purpose district, or other instrumentality of a State or a local government."

Public Accommodations

ADA addresses public accommodations and businesses and services operated by private entities. Privately owned transportation is also included. Specific features of the Act vary from section to section laying out how equal access is to be achieved by particular entities.

"No individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation."

Telecommunications

ADA mandates that telecommunications relay services be offered by private companies and includes services operated by States. ". . . shall ensure that interstate and intrastate telecommunications relay services are available to hearing-impaired and speech-impaired individuals in the United States."

ADA's Impact on Employment

• ADA prohibits discrimination against workers with disabilities. As of July 1992, it applies to all employers with 25 or more employees, and in July 1994, to all employers with 15 or more.
• ADA employment provisions apply to private employers, State and local governments, employment agencies, labor organizations, and joint labor-management committees.
• ADA requires equal opportunity in selection, testing and hiring of qualified applicants with disabilities.
• ADA requires equal treatment in promotion and benefits.
• ADA requires reasonable accommodation for workers with disabilities when such accommodations would not impose an undue hardship. Reasonable accommodation is a concept already familiar to and widely used in today s workplace.

Regulations and Information

• ADA Regulations for Title I - Employment contact:
  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  1801 L Street, NW
  Washington, DC 20507
  800/669-3362 - Voice
  800/800-3302 - TTY
  Alternative formats are available.
• Information on making job accommodations contact:
  JAN (Job Accommodation Network)
  800/526-7234 U.S. - Voice/TTY
• ADA Regulations for Transportation contact:
  Urban Mass Transportation Administration
  400 7th Street, SW
  Room 9315
  Washington, DC 20590
  202/366-4306 or 1656 - Voice
  202/366-4567 - TTY
  Alternative formats are available on request.
• ADA Regulations for Title III - Public Accommodations contact:
  U.S. Department of Justice
  P.O. Box 66118
  Washington, DC 20530-6118
  202/514-0301 - Voice
  202/514-0383 - TTY
  Alternative formats are available.
• ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities, and those for Transportation Vehicles contact:
  U.S. Access Board
  1331 F Street, NW
  Suite 1000
  Washington, DC 20004-1111
  202/272-5434 - Voice
  202/272 5449 - TTY
  800/872-2253 - Voice/TTY
  Alternative formats are available.
• ADA Regulations for Title IV - Telecommunications contact:
  Federal Communications Commission
  Office of Public Affairs
  1919 M Street, NW
  Room 254
  Washington, DC 20554
  202/632-7000- Voice
  202/632-6999- TTY
  
• Office of Disability Employment Policy has other ADA brochures and publications. Alternative formats are available.

Revised August 1993