Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Created in 1990, the ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The law protects the nearly 41 million Americans with a disability, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2018. Employment is one of the biggest areas of concern in meeting the standards; nearly one in five employees have some level of physical or invisible disability that falls under the ADA and ADAAA, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). While some of the requirements for creating accessibility in retail and commercial spaces are well known, other types of disability and accessibility are less well-recognized although equally important.
