The Bush Administration created the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to abolish discrimination, prejudice, and other injustices against people with disabilities. Before this Act passed in 1990, many people with disabilities struggled to be a part of everyday life because it was not built to accommodate all people.
Although the country is still not perfect today, the ADA does help in more ways than one. Here is everything you need to know about the Americans with Disabilities Act.
What Is The Americans with Disabilities Act?
According to the ADA, to be protected by these rights, a person must “have a disability which the ADA defines as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.”
What Does The ADA Do?
The Americans with Disabilities Act protects qualifying individuals from being discriminated against in many ways. For example, the ADA:
- Requires state and local governments to provide accessibility options for services or programs offered to the general public.
- Requires telecommunications businesses to provide services to people with speech or hearing disabilities.
- Requires companies with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for any employee with a disability.
How Effective Is It?
While passing an act such as the ADA is a big step in the right direction, it doesn’t eliminate all problems immediately. While it opens the door for more conversations to be had and more physical changes to be made, the overall hiring stigma regarding people with disabilities is unfortunately still very relevant.
Why Are The Terms So Vague?
The ADA uses many vague terms such as “reasonable accommodations” for a reason. Disabilities can affect many different people in many ways, so leaving the terminology open to interpretation and a little vaguer allows for adaptions to be made in special circumstances.
How Can It Help Your Business?
Not only is implementing ADA policies into your workplace appealing for employees, but it is also appealing to the community as a whole. Asking questions and finding new ways to make your business more accessible and inclusive can also help connect your business to people of diverse backgrounds in the community with whom you otherwise might not have interacted with.
Disability Associates concentrates exclusively on Social Security Disability Law. Having one concentration allows us to maximize our expertise in this particular field. We handle each case with care and maintain our clients’ best interests as our top priority.
If you would like to learn more about how we can help you, please visit our website, or give us a call at (410) 686-2227. Also, be sure to keep up with our latest news on Facebook and Linkedin.