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What is the Americans with Disabilities Act and who does it protect?
The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law that was created to prevent discrimination in services, employment, and public services based on disability. There are five main parts, or Titles, in the law:
- Title I covering employment situations
- Title II covering services and programs of state and local governments
- Title III covering public accommodations
- Title IV covering certinatelecommunications services
- Title V covering some miscellaneous provisions
Why are the terms “Title II” and “Section 504″ important to this discussion?
Section 504 established the fundamental civil right on non-discrimination in 1973. With Section 504 Congress recognized “that the inferior social and economic status of people with disabilities was not a consequence of the disability itself, but instead was a result of societal barriers and prejudices.” (http://dredf.org/news/publications/the-history-of-the-ada/) Section 504 also recognized that although there are many types and variations of disabilities, those with disabilities can be viewed as a minority group which may be subject to discrimination and thus in need of civil rights protections. This coalition of categories into a group created solidarity.
Title II concerns state and local governments (called public entities) pubic services, including public transportation. Persons with disabilities are to have access, including physical access, to all public programs offered. It also concerns public transportation, requiring the provision of paratransit services by public entities. In addition, it applies to all state and local public housing. As educators, Title II impacts our delivery of curriculum. Public entities have to provide “auxiliary aids and services.”
QUICK clip of the impact of ADA on individuals today, which unfortunately, does not include captions:
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