The Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), was enacted in 1990 to ensure that people with disabilities are granted equal access to employment, public services, places of public accommodation, transportation, and telecommunications.
Title II of ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities by public entities. These provisions include publicly funded educational institutions such as our university. The prohibition against discrimination is very broad and encompasses all the programs, activities, and services that the university provides. In general, the Act requires that people with disabilities have equal opportunity to benefit from or participate in university services.
A primary push of the ADA is to ensure that people with disabilities gain access to the mainstream of American society. Access to education is one key to opening the doors of mainstream society to people with disabilities.
One way our university strives to ensure equal access is by providing accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. Accommodations are a necessary part of meeting the requirements of the ADA. The university's obligation to provide accommodations extends to enrolled students, employees, members of the public who may wish to attend public events or activities sponsored by the university, and to any other individual who is eligible to attend, enroll in, or benefit from the university's programs, services, or activities. The Ability Services office focuses specifically on accommodations for enrolled students with disabilities.