The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) is a sweeping civil rights law passed by Congress in 1990. It prohibits discrimination against disabled persons in all aspects of American life and is the basis for much of the disability rights advocacy and regulation that has occurred since then.

The ADA was a pivotal and far-reaching law for disabled Americans. It eliminates discrimination against people with disabilities in employment and all areas of life, including private and public institutions, schools and universities, transportation, stores, and more.

The ADA sets out specific mandates for employers and requires employers to make the workplace accessible for disabled employees. This can mean making adjustments to job descriptions, training, and access to workplace facilities and equipment, among other measures.

It also grants disabled people the legal right to request an “accommodation” which could be a change to a job or workplace that is necessary to better serve their needs as an individual with a disability. This includes modified or missing job duties, modified shift times, additional start and break times, and other changes to help the employee perform their job.

The ADA has mandated equal access to certain public spaces and facilities, such as wheelchair ramps and elevators. This enabled disabled people to attend all kinds of public activities, not just those that were specifically designed to accommodate disabled people.

In addition, the ADA has provided disabled individuals with access to a wide range of programs and services, including job training, technical assistance, and educational resources. This has enabled disabled Americans to get an education, improve their job prospects, and ultimately contribute to the US economy.

The ADA has also had a major impact on encouraging businesses and organizations to design their products and services to better accommodate disabled people and make them widely available. This includes advancing web accessibility and adapting products, packaging, and advertising to make them easier to use by everyone.

The ADA has been an incredibly important and valuable law for disabled people in the United States and has helped reduce the discrimination and social barriers disabled individuals face and provided them with many opportunities that were previously denied to them.