General requirement: Businesses must provide persons with disabilities with equal opportunities to access the goods or services they provide. Barden v. The City of Sacramento, filed in March 1999, claimed that the City of Sacramento did not comply with the ADA when it made public road improvements, but did not bring its sidewalks into ADA compliance. Some issues were clarified before the Federal Court. Whether sidewalks were covered by the ADA was challenged in the 9th Court of Appeals, which ruled that sidewalks were a «program» under the ADA and must be made accessible to people with disabilities. The decision was then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case and upheld the 9th District Court`s decision. [71] [72] Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA (42 U.S.C. Section 12101) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. It provides Americans with disabilities with protection from discrimination similar to that of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,[1] which made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, national origin and other characteristics, and later on sexual orientation and gender identity.
In addition, unlike the Civil Rights Act, the ADA also requires insured employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and imposes requirements on the accessibility of public housing. [2] In 1986, the National Council on Disability (NCD), an independent federal agency, released a report entitled Toward Independence, in which the Council examined negative incentives and incentives in federal legislation to increase the independence and full inclusion of persons with disabilities in our society. Among the negative incentives for independence identified by the Council was the existence of significant gaps remaining in the coverage of the civil rights of persons with disabilities in our country. An important conclusion of the report was to recommend the adoption of comprehensive civil rights legislation that became the ADA. [32] Prohibited discrimination may include, but is not limited to, dismissal or refusal to hire a person because of a real or perceived disability, segregation and harassment based on disability. Affected companies are also required to provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. [18] Reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things the person needs because of a disability are normally done and may include, but is not limited to, special equipment that allows the person to perform the work, schedule changes, and changes in how work orders are selected or communicated. [19] The employer is not required to provide accommodation that would cause undue hardship or significant cost) and the person receiving the accommodation must nevertheless perform the essential duties of the job and meet normal performance requirements.
An employee or applicant who is currently using illicit drugs is not considered qualified if a targeted business takes adverse action as a result of such use. [20] Title II applies to public transport provided by public bodies under U.S. regulations. Ministry. These include the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) as well as all other suburban authorities. This section requires the provision of para-transit services by public bodies providing fixed telephony services. The ADA also sets minimum room layout requirements to facilitate wheelchair safety on public transit. [22] This title is intended to help persons with disabilities access the same employment opportunities and benefits as persons without disabilities. Employers must provide reasonable accommodation to qualified candidates or employees. A reasonable accommodation is any change or adaptation of a job or workplace that allows an applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or perform essential job duties. There are many ways to discriminate against people because of their disability, including psychological disability.
Anyone known to have a history of mental disorders may be considered disabled. Employers with more than 15 employees must ensure that all employees are treated fairly and with all necessary precautions. Even if an employee does an exceptionally good job, he or she is not necessarily disabled; Employers must continue to follow all guidelines for persons with disabilities. However, a local recreation center can only be open to people who live in the surrounding zip code. If the recreation center denies access to a person with epilepsy because that person lived in a different zip code, that would not be an ADA violation because the recreation center would not discriminate based on the person`s disability. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) drafted the final bill and was its main sponsor in the Senate. Harkin gave part of his introductory speech in sign language and said it was that his deaf brother could understand. [47] Following the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the ADA was developed to protect people with disabilities from discrimination and to ensure that they can fully participate in employment, state and local government services, public housing, transportation, and telecommunications. The results are now impressive: most public buses have wheelchair lifts; children with disabilities attend school with their non-disabled peers; And employers are generally aware that people with disabilities have civil rights they can`t violate.