Q. Is everybody covered by the ADA?

A. No. The federal government is exempted from the ADA. In employment and public accommodations, only entities with 15 or more employees are covered. However, all state and local governments are covered by the ADA.


Q. Are we left without protection against the federal government then?

A. No. The federal government is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disabilty by §504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which covers entities recieving federal funding.


Q. Does an entity covered by the ADA always have to provide an accommodation to a disabled person?

A. No. A covered entity does not have to provide an accommodation if doing so would pose an undue hardship to the entity.


Q. Does a covered entity have to provide the exact accomodation I request?

A. No. The ADA only requires that a "reasonable accommodation" be made to allow disabled individuals to participate in the services or programs offered. Thus, they can provide a person with a different accommodation that accomplishes the same goal as the one requested, such as writing notes on paper instead of hiring an interpreter in some situations.

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