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Topics

Featured topics are high-level, plain-language explanations of the existing information that the Department has made available about the law.

Learn more about Topics

Featured topics are intended for an audience of people who are not legal experts. We expect that these overviews will answer 80 percent of common questions about a particular topic. They are designed to be easy to scan and navigate. They have clear headings and links that help users skip to a particular section. The overviews are also designed to be easy to understand. They use icons to help explain definitions and they provide clear examples.

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Featured Topics

These topics are the most frequently visited areas of our site. Start here to learn about the most commonly-searched topics of the ADA.

All Topics

These topics are mentioned throughout the ADA. We’ve compiled overviews of these information areas to help you navigate the ADA as it relates to your field of interest.

  • Businesses That Are Open to the Public

    A sign hanging inside a storefront window reads Welcome. We are Open. Please come in

    If you are a business or a person with a disability, there are many aspects of the ADA that you should be familiar with. The information below is intended to help get you started.

  • Community Integration

    Two women, one with a disability, play with a dog on a lawn

    The ADA bans the unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities in a regulation called “the integration mandate.” State and local governments must offer services to people with disabilities in home and community settings.

  • Criminal Justice

    Five diverse enforcement officers stand together

    The ADA requires state and local governments including their criminal justice agencies to comply with the ADA. If you are part of a criminal justice agency or a person with a disability, there are many aspects of the ADA that you should be familiar with.

  • Effective Communication

    Hands hover over a braille display

    People with certain disabilities might communicate in different ways.

  • Emergency Planning

    A building floor plan with braille showing hallways and evacuation routes

    State and local governments must ensure their emergency planning and management programs are accessible for persons with disabilities.

  • Equal Access to Child Care

    a child with down-syndrome is playing guitar and sitting with kids and a teacher

    The ADA requires child care centers to comply with the ADA. A child with a disability must never be turned away based on assumptions about their disability.

  • Introduction to the ADA

    A teacher and a student sitting at a table signing to one another

    How the ADA is structured, and how it protects the rights of people with disabilities

  • Mobility Devices

    A person wearing red shoes operates a power wheelchair

    Find out how the ADA supports those who use walkers, wheelchairs, and other power-driven devices to get around.

  • Opioid Use Disorder

    Image of the acronym OUD for Opioid Use Disorder represented by wooden letter tiles

    Find out the ADA's protections for people with Opioid Use Disorder.

  • Parental Rights

    Asian American father hugging his son

    Parents and prospective parents with disabilities are entitled to equal treatment and equal access to parenting opportunities.

  • Parking

    A man in a wheelchair approaching a vehicle with his hand on the door handle

    Find out how the ADA requires businesses, non-profits, and state/local governments to provide accessible parking spaces.

  • Service Animals

    A service animal helps a blind person down the stairs

    The definition of a service animal, where they can go, and how they assist people with disabilities

  • State and Local Governments

    An aerial view of a city; includes city hall, streets, sidewalks, cars, and other government and non-government buildings

    If you are part of a state/local government program or a person with a disability, there are many aspects of the ADA that you should be familiar with.

  • Telehealth

    photo of a person on a video call with a doctor

    The ADA prohibits healthcare providers from discriminating on the basis of disability. This is true when health care is provided in person or through “telehealth.”

  • Voting and Polling Places

    A vote here sign at a polling place on election day

    The ADA requires state and local governments and their election officials to ensure that people with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote in all elections.

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