Chapter 7

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act is also called the ADA.
The ADA is a law that gives people with disabilities lots of different rights.
People say it is the biggest disability rights law in the United States.

The ADA says that you have a right to accommodations.
Some examples of accommodations from the ADA are:

  • Getting captions on a TV show
  • Menus in Braille
  • Bringing your service dog to work
  • An interpreter at the doctor’s office

The ADA gives people with disabilities rights at work.
The law says that your boss can’t discriminate against disabled people.
Your boss can’t fire you because you have a disability.
Your boss can’t treat you differently because of your disability.
You can get accommodations at work because of the ADA.

The ADA also gives you rights in places run by the government.
For example:

  • Libraries.
  • The post office.
  • City hall.
  • Public transportation, like buses, trains, and subways.

The ADA says you have the right to go inside any place run by the government.
You have the same right to use any service run by the government.

If a business is open to everyone, the ADA says you have the right to go inside.
You have the right to do the same things as everyone else.
For example:

  • If you go to a hairdresser, you have the right to get a haircut.
  • If you go to the movies, you have a right to captions.
  • If you go to a store, you have the right to go inside and buy things.
  • If you go to a restaurant, you have the right to order food.

The ADA says you have the right to communicate in ways that work for you.
You have the right to understand what is going on.
Phone calls, text messages, and video calls have to be accessible.

The ADA is a very important law.
It gives people with disabilities the same rights as everyone else.