Legal

The American Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, and national origin. Its coverage includes private housing, housing that receives federal financial assistance, and state and local government housing. Owners of housing facilities are required to make reasonable exceptions in their policies for tenants with disabilities (for example, a "no pets" policy for persons who use service animals). Landlords must also allow tenants with disabilities to make reasonable access-related modifications to their private living space, as well as to common use spaces (though landlords are not required to pay for the changes). The Act further requires that new multifamily housing with four or more units be designed and built to allow access for persons with disabilities. This includes accessible common use areas, doors that are wide enough for wheelchairs, kitchens and bathrooms that allow a person using a wheelchair to maneuver, and other adaptable features within the units.

The Air Carrier Access Act prohibits discrimination in air transportation by domestic and foreign air carriers against qualified individuals with physical or mental impairments. It applies only to air carriers that provide regularly scheduled services for hire to the public. Requirements address a wide range of issues, including boarding assistance and certain accessibility features in newly built aircraft and new or altered airport facilities.Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. The law requires public schools to make available to all eligible children with disabilities a “free appropriate public education” in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their individual needs. IDEA requires public school systems to develop appropriate Individualized Education Programs (IEP's) for each child.

The Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, in programs receiving federal financial assistance, in federal employment, and in employment practices of federal contractors. It also requires the federal government to make sure that electronic and technology information is accessible to people with disabilities. A new section of the Rehabilitation Act requires medical diagnostic equipment to be accessible to people with disabilities. 

The Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) requires that buildings and facilities that are designed, constructed, or altered with Federal funds, or leased by a Federal agency, comply with Federal standards for physical accessibility. ABA requirements are limited to architectural standards in new and altered buildings and in newly leased facilities. They do not address the activities conducted in those buildings and facilities.

For more information about your rights refer to the Department of Justice's Guide to Disability Rights Laws.

If you believe you have been discriminated against because you experience a disabilty contact the League of Human Dignity.