DRUMM Notes is the blog site for ADA Advocates.
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act! July 26, 2015
FAQs on the ADA click here to read more...
The ADA in a Nutshell:
Q: What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
A: The ADA is the first comprehensive civil rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination on the basis of disability. It was passed almost unanimously by Congress and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. The ADA protects people with disabilities from discrimination in all aspects of employment, in access to public services such as transportation and state and local government programs and services, and access the goods and services provided by businesses such as restaurants, stores, hotels and other types of businesses such as law offices and medical facilities. (Source: ADA Network)
Q: Are courthouses covered under the ADA?
A: YES. The ADA consists of five sections or Titles. Title II covers all activities of state and local governments. Title II requires that state and local governments give people with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from all of their programs, services and activities. (Source: ADA Network) Examples of these are courthouses (with more than 50 employees).
Q: I have an invisible disability, PTSD, can I request accomodations for my upcoming court appearance? A: YES. Under the ADA "Public entities are required to make reasonable modifications to policies, practices, and procedures where necessary to avoid discrimination, until doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program or activity provided."
Q: How do I qualify my disability?
A: The courts want to make sure that people who have disabilities are protected from discrimination. Accomodations for physical disabilities, like wheel chair ramps, and parking places designated for the handicapped are commonplace. The same law that required public entities to install these accomodations for persons with physcal disabilities apply to those with invisible disabilities. Your ADA Advocate can help identify your disability, assess if it is covered under the ADA and seek accomodations.
To learn more about the ADA, visit the ADA National Network
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Thank you!