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What is the ADA law

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law. It generally says disabled people have the right to access buildings, websites, and services the same as anyone else. If a place is open to the public, it generally has to be open to you too.

The ADA has five parts, called titles. They cover things like employment, state and local government services, and businesses open to the public. Which title applies depends on what happened and where. The Standards Guide walks through the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, the federal rules that set out things like door width, ramp slope, and parking space size.

Know your ADA rights

Access is a right, not a favor. If a building, a website, or a service shut you out when it was supposed to be open to you, that was not your fault. It may also not be legal, depending on the facts.

Some things that are generally true under the ADA:

• Businesses open to the public generally have to remove barriers when it's readily achievable.
• You generally have the right to bring a service animal into most public places.
• Government offices and services generally have to be accessible, under a separate part of the ADA.
• Websites and apps are a developing area; accessibility expectations generally apply, though the law here is less settled than for buildings.

Each of these depends on the specific situation. The Standards Guide breaks these topics down by category, with plain-language explanations next to the official legal text.

What to do if you hit a barrier

You don't have to figure this out alone. Talk to Ada below. Describe what happened, in your own words, at your own pace. She'll help you understand whether it looks like an ADA issue and point you to a next step, whether that's the Standards Guide, a complaint process, or an attorney.

If you want to check a specific spot first, like a doorway, ramp, restroom, or parking space, get a free Spot read instead. Spot names what stands out in one photo; it's a screening read, not a legal answer.

Ada is not a lawyer. This is informational only, not legal advice.