What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
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What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
- An anti-discrimination law for individuals with disabilities.
- A national mandate to provide access to all aspects of American life to people with disabilities.
What does the ADA cover?
- Employment
- Access to facilities, programs, services, activities
- Telecommunications
- Transportation
- Other miscellaneous provisions
What do ADA employment provisions require?
Employment provisions of the ADA require good faith efforts by an employer and an employee who is a qualified individual with a disability to identify reasonable accommodations that permit the employee to perform the essential functions of the position.
Additional Resources
Check out the Job Accommodation Network. You can learn about your rights under the ADA, find resources related to disclosing disability and requesting accommodations in the workplace, and find a lot of accommodation ideas sorted by disability type and/or limitation.
UW–Madison ADA Coordinator
The ADA Coordinator is responsible for campus wide compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
If an employee, student, or visitor disagrees with a disability accommodation decision or if an accommodation that was approved was not implemented, you may file an appeal with the ADA Coordinator. Appeal procedures are recorded in the campus disability accommodation policies.
You may visit the ADA Coordinator’s website. If you still have questions, you may contact the ADA Coordinator at:
Ruben Mota
Email: ruben.mota@wisc.edu
Phone: (608)-265-4508; Relay calls accepted
361 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706
ADA Employment Provisions: Key Terms
Qualified Individual with a Disability:
An applicant or employee with a disability who has the qualifications for the position desired or held (through training, education, experience) and who can perform the position’s essential functions with or without accommodations.
Disability:
A mental or physical impairment, or record or perception of a mental or physical impairment, that substantially limits one or more major life activities (e.g., the ability to walk, talk, see, hear, breathe, learn, sleep, take care of oneself, or work).
Reasonable Accommodation:
Any modification that permits a qualified individual (applicant, employee) with a disability to perform the essential functions of a position without imposing undue hardship on the employer.
Undue Hardship:
An accommodation that is unduly costly, extensive, or disruptive to the employer.
Essential Functions:
Those duties that exist as the very purpose for the position and must be performed by the person holding the position. Essential functions must be distinguished from marginal functions which may be eliminated or reassigned to other employees. Factors to consider are:
- the number of employees available to perform the function
- the consequences of not having the function performed
- whether the function requires special skills for which the employee was hired