What is the Americans with Disabilities Act?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the primary law protecting individuals with disabilities from various forms of discrimination. The ADA specifically prohibits employers from discriminating against job applicants or employees based upon having a disability, having a disability in the past, or being regarded as having a disability. 

What does the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibit?

The ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees. Intentional forms of discrimination include hiring, advancement, termination, compensation, training, or other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment. 

The ADA also prohibits employers from requiring a pre-employment medical examination or asking questions about he job applicants medical history. 

The employer can only ask job related medical questions after a job has been extended.

What is a Covered Disability?

The ADA defines a disability as any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of an individuals major life activities. Individuals with an impairment that is transitory and minor, do not fall under the ADA protections. The employment discrimination provisions apply to individuals with a qualified disability. A qualified disabled is one who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of a particular job position. Covered employers must make reasonable accommodations to allow the qualified disabled to perform the functions of the job.

What is a Reasonable Accommodation?

Reasonable accommodation under the ADA means adjusting a job or work environment to fit the needs of a disabled employee in carrying on her duties. Common examples of a reasonable accommodation include: making the workplace disabled accessible; restructuring or adjusting the work schedule; purchasing or modifying necessary equipment for use by the disabled; or providing appropriate training materials or assistance modified to fit the needs of the disabled employees.

What is an Undue Hardship?

Employers are not required to make an accommodation that causes the employer an undue hardship. An undue hardship is an action requiring significant difficulty or expense to the employer. The cost of the accommodation, the resources of employer, the size of the employer, and the nature of the employers business are considered in determining what constitutes and undue hardship.

Note: The ADA also requires businesses to make reasonable accommodations for customer who use the facilities. This generally includes wheelchair accessible entrances and doorways.

What are Remedies under the ADA?

The remedies for violation of the ADA are similar to those under the Civil Rights Act (Title VII). Compensatory and punitive damages are not available for disparate impact but are available for intentional discrimination.

Related Topics

• Employment Discrimination (Intro)
• What is Employment Discrimination?
• Glass Ceiling
• What are the major Employment Discrimination laws?
• Civil Rights Act of 1866 (1981 Actions)
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• The Rehabilitation Act
• Job Accommodation Network
• Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA)
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Affordable Care Act (ACA)
• Uniform Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
• Sexual Orientation and Identification
• What is Affirmative Action?
• What is employment discrimination protection under state law?
• Overview of Title VII (Civil Rights Act of 1964)
• Civil Rights Act of 1964
• What is employment discrimination under Title VII?
• How are Title VII protections enforced?
• Wrongful Termination Claim
• Disparate Treatment
• Disparate Impact
• What is race discrimination under Title VII?
• What is national origin discrimination under Title VII?
• What is religious discrimination Under Title VII?
• What is sex discrimination under Title VII?
• What is sexual harassment or Hostile work environment under Title VII?
• Quid Pro Quo
• What is pregnancy discrimination under Title VII?
• Equal Pay Act of 1963