ADA Regulations
and
Technical Assistance Materials
ADA
MATERIALS AVAILABLE FREE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
The U.S. Department of Justice provides free ADA materials.
Printed materials may be ordered by calling the ADA Information Line (1-800-514-0301
(Voice) or 1-800-514-0383 (TDD)). Automated service is available
24-hours a day for recorded information and to order publications.
Publications are available in standard print as well as large
print, audiotape, Braille, and computer disk for people with
disabilities.

Unless noted, the ADA publications have not yet been updated to reflect
the revisions to the Department's ADA regulations that took effect on March 15, 2011.

ADA LEGAL DOCUMENTS
Current
Text of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended including
changes made by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-325).
The ADA prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for
persons with disabilities in employment, State and local government
services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and
transportation. It also mandates the establishment of TDD/telephone
relay services.
Revised Final ADA
Regulation for Title II, as printed in the Federal Register
on September 15, 2010, and effective on March 15, 2011.
The Department of Justice's regulation implementing title II,
subtitle A, of the ADA which prohibits discrimination on the basis of
disability in all services, programs, and activities provided to the
public by State and local governments, except public transportation
services.
Revised Final ADA Regulation for Title III, as
printed in the Federal Register on September 15, 2010, and effective on March 15, 2011.
The Department of
Justice's regulation implementing title III of the ADA, which prohibits
discrimination on the basis of disability in "places of public
accommodation" (businesses and non-profit agencies that serve the
public) and "commercial facilities" (other businesses). The regulation
includes Appendix A to Part 36 - Standards for Accessible Design
establishing minimum standards for ensuring accessibility when designing
and constructing a new facility or altering an existing facility.
2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design
On March 15, 2012, compliance with the 2010 Standards will be required for new construction and alterations. In the period between September 15, 2010 and March 15, 2012, covered entities may choose between the 1991 ADA Standards (without the elevator exemption for Title II facilities), the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (Title II facilities only), and the 2010 Standards.
1991 ADA Standards for Accessible Design
ADA
Regulation for Title II, as printed in the Federal Register
on July 26, 1991 and effective until March 15, 2011.
Title
II Technical Assistance Manual (1993)
Supplement
ADA Regulation for Title III, as
printed in the Code of Federal Regulations July 1, 1994 and effective until March 15, 2011.
Title III Technical Assistance Manual (1993) and Supplement

GENERAL ADA PUBLICATIONS AND
INFORMATION
ADA Questions and
Answers. A 31-page booklet giving an
overview of the ADA's requirements for ensuring equal opportunity for
persons with disabilities in employment, State and local government
services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and
transportation, and requiring the establishment of TDD/telephone relay
services. (Spanish, Cambodian, Chinese, Hmong, Japanese, Korean,
Laotian, Tagalog and Vietnamese editions available from the ADA Information Line.)
ADA Information Services. A
2-page list with the telephone numbers and Internet addresses of
Federal agencies and other organizations that provide information and
technical assistance to the public about the ADA.
ADA Designated
Investigative Agencies. A 4-page list of the nine federal agencies
that are designated to investigate disability-related discrimination
complaints filed against State and local government programs under title
I or title II of the ADA or against Federally funded or assisted
programs under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Investigative
Agencies (HTML) |
Investigative
Agencies (PDF)
Enforcing
the ADA: A Status Report from the Department of Justice. A
brief report issued by the Justice Department each quarter providing
timely information about ADA cases and settlements, building codes that
meet ADA accessibility standards, and ADA technical assistance
activities. (for the most current issue)
Enforcing the ADA: Looking Back on a Decade of Progress.
A 41-page special edition of the Department of Justice's quarterly
status report highlighting accomplishments and activities from 1990
through 2000.
A Guide to
Disability Rights Laws. A 21-page booklet that provides a brief
overview of ten Federal laws that protect the rights of people with
disabilities and provides information about the federal agencies to
contact for more information. (Spanish, Cambodian, Chinese, Hmong,
Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Tagalog and Vietnamese editions available
from the ADA Information Line.)
Disability
Rights Laws (HTML)
Disability
Rights Laws (PDF)
Disability
Rights Laws (En Español)
A Guide for People with Disabilities
Seeking Employment. A 2-page pamphlet for people with disabilities
providing a general explanation of the employment provisions of the ADA
and how to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission. (Spanish edition available from the ADA Information Line.)
Employment
(HTML) | Employment (PDF)
ADA:
Know Your Rights -- Returning Service Members with Disabilities.
This 28-page booklet is designed to provide military service members
who have been seriously wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation
Enduring Freedom a basic understanding of their rights under the ADA and
where to turn for additional information and assistance.
Returning Service Members
with Disabilities (HTML)
Returning Service Members
with Disabilities (PDF)
ADA Mediation
Program. A 6-page publication that
provides an overview of the Department's Mediation Program and examples
of successfully mediated cases.
ADA Signing
Ceremony video. This 22-minute streaming video documents the
speech given by President George H. W. Bush when he signed the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on July 26, 1990. In the video,
President Bush speaks to a huge audience of activists, Congressional
supporters, people with disabilities, and their families and friends
gathered on the south lawn of the White House.

BUSINESSES
AND NON-PROFIT SERVICE PROVIDERS:
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
MANUALS AND PUBLICATIONS
Title III Technical
Assistance Manual (1993) and Supplement
An 83-page manual that explains in lay terms what businesses and
non-profit agencies must do to ensure access to their goods, services,
and facilities. Many examples are provided for practical guidance.
(Spanish edition available from the ADA
Information Line.)
Title
III Highlights | Title III Highlights (En Español)
A 12-page outline of the key requirements of the ADA for businesses and
non-profit agencies. This publication provides detailed information in
bullet format for quick reference. (Spanish edition available from the ADA Information Line.)
Accessible Stadiums. A 4-page publication highlighting
features that must be accessible in new stadiums and providing guidance
on line of sight for wheelchair seating locations.
Accessible
Stadiums (TEXT) | Accessible Stadiums (PDF)
Access To Medical Care For
Individuals With Mobility Disabilities. This 19-page
publication provides guidance for medical care professionals on the
ADA’s requirement to provide accessible health care to individuals with
mobility disabilities. This document includes an overview of general
ADA requirements, commonly asked questions, and illustrated examples of
accessible facilities, examination rooms, and medical equipment.
ADA Guide for Small
Businesses. This 15-page illustrated guide presents an overview of
some basic ADA requirements for small businesses that provide goods and
services to the public. It provides guidance on how to make their
services accessible and how tax credits and deductions may be used to
offset specific costs. (Spanish, Cambodian, Chinese, Hmong, Japanese,
Korean, Laotian, Tagalog and Vietnamese editions available from the ADA Information Line.)
ADA
Guide for Small Businesses (HTML)
ADA
Guide for Small Businesses (PDF)
ADA-TA: A Technical
Assistance Update from the Department of Justice. A serial
publication that addresses two topics in each issue: "Common Questions"
answers questions about ADA requirements; "Design / Details" provides
information and illustrations of particular design requirements.
Volume 1: Readily Achievable
Barrier Removal and Van-Accessible Parking Spaces
Barrier Removal and
Van-Accessible Parking (HTML)
Barrier
Removal and Van-Accessible Parking (PDF)
Common
ADA Errors and Omissions in New Construction and Alterations. This
13-page document lists a sampling of common accessibility errors or
omissions that have been identified through the Department of Justice's
ongoing enforcement efforts. The significance of the errors is discussed
and references are provided to the requirements of the ADA Standards
for Accessible Design.
Common
Errors (HTML) | Common Errors (PDF)
ADA
Business Briefs. Short publications explaining specific ADA issues
that are designed to be easily printed and distributed to employees.
Communicating with People
Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hospital Settings
Communicating with Guests
Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hotels, Motels, and Other Places of
Transient Lodging
Restriping Parking Lots
Service Animals
Assistance
at Gas Stations
Ten Small Business Mistakes video. This thirteen-minute
streaming video identifies common mistakes that small businesses make
when trying to comply with the ADA and addresses the importance and
value of doing business with 50 million people with disabilities. The
video features statements by store owners expressing their doubts or
misunderstandings about the ADA followed by responses from Assistant
Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta and other Department of Justice
employees explaining the law in common sense terms.
Commonly Asked
Questions About Service Animals. A
3-page publication explaining the requirements of the ADA regarding
animals that accompany and provide services for a person with a
disability. (Spanish edition available from the ADA Information Line.)
How to File a Title III Complaint
| How to File a Title III
Complaint (En Español). This publication details the
procedure for filing a complaint under title III of the ADA, which
prohibits discrimination based on disability by businesses and
non-profit agencies. (Spanish edition available from the ADA Information Line.)
Commonly Asked
Questions About Child Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities
Act A 13-page publication explaining
how the requirements of the ADA apply to Child Care Centers. The
document also describes some of the Department of Justice's ongoing
enforcement efforts in the child care area and it provides a resource
list on sources of information on the ADA.
Questions and Answers: The
Americans with Disabilities Act and Persons with HIV/AIDS (HTML) | (PDF) A 14-page publication explaining the rights of persons with HIV/AIDS under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the requirements of the ADA for employers, businesses and non-profit agencies that serve the public, and State and local governments to avoid discriminating against persons with HIV/AIDS (June 2012).
Questions and Answers: The ADA and the
Rights of Persons with HIV/AIDS to Obtain Occupational Training and
State Licensing.
A 2-page document addressing questions about how the requirements of
the ADA apply to the rights of persons with HIV/AIDS in occupational
training and state licensing.
Questions and Answers:
The ADA and the Rights of Persons with HIV/AIDS to Obtain Occupational
Training and State Licensing (HTML)
Questions and Answers: The
ADA and the Rights of Persons with HIV/AIDS to Obtain Occupational
Training and State Licensing (PDF)
Tax Incentives for Business (HTML) | PDF
-- Information to help businesses understand and
take advantage of the tax credit and deduction available for complying
with the ADA.
Assistance
at Self-Serve Gas Stations. A 1-page document providing guidance on
the ADA and refueling assistance at self-serve gas stations.
Self-Serve
Gas Stations (HTML) | Self-Serve Gas Stations
(PDF)
Common ADA Problems at Newly
Constructed Lodging Facilities. An 11-page document lists a sampling
of common accessibility problems at newly constructed lodging
facilities that have been identified through the Department of Justice's
ongoing enforcement efforts.
Common
ADA Problems at Newly Constructed Lodging Facilities (HTML)
Common ADA Problems at Newly Constructed
Lodging Facilities (PDF)
Five
Steps To Make New Lodging Facilities Comply With The ADA. A 3-page
document highlighting five steps that owners, operators, and franchisors
can take to make sure that new lodging facilities comply with the ADA.
Five
Steps To Make New Lodging Facilities Comply (HTML)
Five
Steps To Make New Lodging Facilities Comply (PDF)
Americans with
Disabilities Act Checklist for New Lodging Facilities. This 34-page checklist is a self-help survey that owners,
franchisors, and managers of lodging facilities can use to identify ADA
mistakes at their facilities.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Guide for Places of Lodging: Serving Guests Who Are Blind or Who Have
Low Vision. A 12-page publication explaining what hotels, motels,
and other places of transient lodging can do to accommodate guests who
are blind or have low vision.
Serving
Lodging Guests Who Are Blind or Who Have Low Vision (HTML)
Serving Lodging Guests Who Are Blind or
Who Have Low Vision (PDF)

STATE
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE MANUALS AND PUBLICATIONS
Title II Technical
Assistance Manual (1993) and Supplement A 56-page manual
that explains in lay terms what State and local governments must do to
ensure that their services, programs, and activities are provided to the
public in a nondiscriminatory manner. Many examples are provided for
practical guidance. (Spanish edition available from the ADA Information Line.)
Title II Highlights
| Title II Highlights (En
Español). An 8-page outline of the key requirements of the ADA
for State and local governments. This publication provides detailed
information in bullet format for quick reference. (Spanish edition
available from the ADA Information
Line.)
Communicating
with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: ADA Guide for Law
Enforcement Officers - This 8-panel pocket guide provides basic
information for officers about ADA requirements for communicating
effectively with people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Model Policy for Law Enforcement on Communicating with
People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing - This 4-page document serves
as a model for law enforcement agencies when adopting a policy on
effective communication with people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Agencies are encouraged to download and adapt the policy to suit their
needs.
ADA Guide
for Small Towns. A 21-page guide that presents an informal overview
of some basic ADA requirements and provides cost-effective tips on how
small towns can comply with the ADA.
ADA Guide
for Small Towns (HTML)
ADA
Guide for Small Towns (PDF)
Access To Medical Care For
Individuals With Mobility Disabilities. This 19-page
publication provides guidance for medical care professionals on the
ADA’s requirement to provide accessible health care to individuals with
mobility disabilities. This document includes an overview of general
ADA requirements, commonly asked questions, and illustrated examples of
accessible facilities, examination rooms, and medical equipment.
ADA
Checklist for Polling Places. This
39-page checklist is a self-help survey that voting officials can use to
determine whether a polling place has basic accessible features needed
by most voters with disabilities.
ADA/Section 504 Design Guide: Accessible Cells in
Correction Facilities. A 5-page publication providing
guidance on preventing discrimination against inmates with mobility
disabilities through the design of accessible cells in State and local
correctional facilities.
The ADA
and City Governments: Common Problems. A 9-page document that
contains a sampling of common problems shared by city governments of all
sizes, provides examples of common deficiencies and explains how these
problems affect persons with disabilities.
ADA and
City Government: Common Problems (HTML)
ADA
and City Government: Common Problems (PDF)
An ADA
Guide for Local Governments: Making Community Emergency Preparedness and
Response Programs Accessible to People with Disabilities. A
11-page illustrated publication that provides guidance on preparing for
and carrying out emergency response programs in a manner that results in
the services being accessible to people with disabilities.
Emergency
Preparedness Guide -- HTML
Emergency Preparedness Guide --
PDF (print version, 3.5mb)
Emergency
Preparedness Guide -- PDF (screen
version, 1.5mb)
Acessibility of
State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities. A
5-page publication providing guidance on making State and local
government websites accessible.
Accessible
Websites (HTML)
Accessible Websites (PDF) -
screen version (236k)
Accessible Websites (PDF) - print version (1444k)
Accessible
Stadiums. A 4-page publication highlighting features that must be
accessible in new stadiums and providing guidance on line of sight for
wheelchair seating locations.
Accessible
Stadiums (TEXT) |
Accessible Stadiums (PDF)
ADA-TA: A Technical Assistance
Update from the Department of Justice. A serial publication that
addresses two topics in each issue: "Common Questions" answers questions
about ADA requirements; "Design Details" provides information and
illustrations of particular design requirements.
Volume 1: Readily
Achievable Barrier Removal and Van-Accessible Parking Spaces
Readily Achievable
Barrier Removal and Van-Accessible Parking (HTML)
Readily Achievable Barrier
Removal and Van-Accessible Parking (PDF)
Commonly
Asked Questions About the ADA and Law Enforcement. A 12-page
publication providing information for law enforcement agencies in a
simple question and answer format.
Commonly Asked Questions About the ADA
and Law Enforcement (HTML)
Commonly Asked
Questions About the ADA and Law Enforcement (PDF)
Questions
and Answers: The ADA and Hiring Police Officers. A 5-page
publication providing information on ADA requirements for interviewing
and hiring police officers.
Questions
and Answers: The ADA and Hiring Police Officers (HTML)
Questions and Answers:
The ADA and Hiring Police Officers (PDF)
Commonly Asked Questions About Title
II of the ADA. A 6-page fact sheet explaining the requirements
of the ADA for State and local governments. (Spanish edition
available from the ADA Information
Line.)
Access for 9-1-1 and
Telephone Emergency Services. A 10-page publication explaining the
requirements for direct, equal access to 9-1-1 for persons who use
teletypewriters (TTYs).
Access
for 9-1-1 and Telephone Emergency Services (HTML)
Access for 9-1-1 and Telephone
Emergency Services (PDF)
Questions and Answers: The
Americans with Disabilities Act and Persons with HIV/AIDS (HTML) | (PDF) A 14-page publication explaining the rights of persons with HIV/AIDS under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the requirements of the ADA for employers, businesses and non-profit agencies that serve the public, and State and local governments to avoid discriminating against persons with HIV/AIDS (June 2012).
Questions and Answers: The ADA and the
Rights of Persons with HIV/AIDS to Obtain Occupational Training and
State Licensing.
A 2-page document addressing questions about how the requirements of
the ADA apply to the rights of persons with HIV/AIDS in occupational
training and state licensing.
Questions and
Answers: The ADA and the Rights of Persons with HIV/AIDS to
Obtain Occupational Training and State Licensing (HTML)
Questions and Answers: The
ADA and the Rights of Persons with HIV/AIDS to Obtain Occupational
Training and State Licensing (PDF)
Common ADA Errors
and Omissions in New Construction and Alterations. This 13-page
document lists a sampling of common accessibility errors or omissions
that have been identified through the Department of Justice's ongoing
enforcement efforts. The significance of the errors is discussed and
references are provided to the requirements of the ADA Standards for
Accessible Design.
Common
ADA Errors and Omissions in New Construction and Alterations (HTML)
Common ADA Errors and
Omissions in New Construction and Alterations (PDF)
Commonly Asked Questions About Child
Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act A 13-page
publication explaining how the requirements of the ADA apply to Child
Care Centers. The document also describes some of the Department of
Justice's ongoing enforcement efforts in the child care area and it
provides a resource list on sources of information on the ADA.
Title II Complaint Form | Title II Complaint Form (En
Español). Standard form for filing a complaint under title II of
the ADA or section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which
prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability by State and local
governments and by recipients of federal financial assistance. (Spanish
edition available from the ADA
Information Line.)

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Last updated: June 27, 2012
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