Americans with Disabilities Act

Americans with Disabilities Act

Deaf Service Center of SW Florida

Working to empower Southwest Florida's

deaf and hard of hearing citizens and their families

through education, advocacy, and community involvement

DSC Fact Sheets:

	Fact Sheet for Providing Interpreting Services
	Fact Sheet for Medical Interpreting
	Fact Sheet for Legal Interpreting
	Working with an ASL-English Interpreter and Providing Visual Accessibility for Deaf Consumers

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination law which guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.

Interpreting services may be a reasonable accommodation for a deaf or hard of hearing person to obtain access to communication. Writing notes back and forth will not be a reasonable accommodation if the consumer does not understand written English. Reasonable accommodations for other disability conditions include providing elevators, ramps, special parking spaces, and wheelchair accessible restrooms.

Organizations that supply interpreters and other reasonable accommodations in compliance with the ADA may be eligible for tax benefits.

ADA resources:

NAD: Provision of Auxiliary Aids for Deaf Persons

The National Association of the Deaf prepared this brief, informative explanation about Title III of the ADA.

"Deaf patients have rights during doctor visits" by Allan Appel

Information about health care professionals, sign language interpreters, and the ADA

"Effective Communication" & the ADA

What does the ADA mean by "effective communication" accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing individuals? How does someone know if they must hire an interpreter? Read this section of the Technical Assistance Paper for ADA Title III to find out.

"Public" & the ADA

What does the Americans with Disabilities Act mean by "places of public accommodation"? Read this section of the Technical Assistance Paper for ADA Title III to find out.

U.S. Department of Justice ADA Homepage

The ADA Home Page provides access to Americans with Disabilities Act regulations for businesses and state and local governments, technical assistance materials, ADA Standards for Accessible Design, links to Federal agencies with ADA responsibilities and information, updates on new ADA requirements, information about Department of Justice ADA settlement agreements and enforcement activities and access to Freedom of Information Act ADA materials.

ADA Clearinghouse
AbilityForum.com is the Web site for Florida Governor's Working Group on the Americans with Disabilities (ADAWG). Established under Executive Order 01-161, the ADA Working Group consists of a gubernatorially appointed board that meets quarterly to discuss current issues and events involving citizens of Florida with disabilities and state-level staff who work to address action items, and motions set by the board. The mission of the ADA Working Group will be to provide information, referrals, education, and recommendations for compliance and implementation of the ADA and other disability rights laws in order to increase the independence and quality of life for citizens of Florida with disabilities.

ADA Guide for Small Businesses

The ADA authorizes the Department of Justice to provide technical assistance to individuals and entities that have rights or responsibilities under the Act. This document provides informal guidance to assist you in understanding the ADA and the Department's regulation. However, this technical assistance does not constitute a legal interpretation of the statute.

Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities

Online ADA course for businesses

Technical Assistance Paper for ADA Title III: Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities

Technical Assistance Paper for ADA Title II: State and Local Government Programs and Services