---
title: What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
description: "The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination by the government, schools, and most employers. Learn about the ADA.\n"
slug: americans-with-disabilities-act-ada
author: Andrew M.I. Lee, JD
reviewer: James Emmett, MS
published: '2019-08-05T15:32:14.195Z'
thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/4E7qcAUbwnQSyeW7EBNFC0/f095d79bd253f5667fee9d065468f7af/G1084170908.png
source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/americans-with-disabilities-act-ada
lang: en
---

# What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law. It protects people with disabilities from discrimination in most settings. 

The law applies to the government, schools, and employers with 15 or more employees. It also applies to anyone who offers goods and services to the public. This includes restaurants, stores, and even websites. 

The ADA is very broad in who it covers. The law protects anyone with a physical or mental condition that “substantially limits one or more major life activities.” 

Major life activities include things like seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, or walking. But there are other activities that fall into this category, including: 

- Learning
- Reading
- Concentrating
- Thinking
- Communicating 
- Working
- Caring for yourself
- Interacting with others

A condition doesn’t have to be severe to qualify for protection under the ADA. But it must have a significant impact on a person’s ability to do these activities, compared to most people in society. 

[ADA fact sheet](https://cdn-assets.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/1E5SLDEgAaEIk57TKUTrQj/75fac4783a3cff92238b4ca82b184cce/ADA_Fact_Sheet_Understood_Accessible.pdf)

---

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