An Overview of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and Your Business
The ADA is a federal civil rights law that was designed to prevent discrimination of individuals with disabilities and to assist them to integrate into mainstream society. The enforcement of laws under ADA is handled by the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). The ADA applies to all businesses with 15 or more employees, and protects every person who has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (like sitting, standing, or sleeping), who has a record (perhaps in the past) of a substantially limiting impairment, and who is regarded or treated by an employer as if they have that impairment (as in fear of hiring someone in remission from cancer due to fear of reoccurrence). The ADA only protects a person who is otherwise qualified for the job, and does not require the employer to hire a person with a disability over a more-qualified person.
