Glossary
Plain-language definitions.
Acronyms, legal terms, and concepts used across the site — explained without jargon. If a word in a chapter or in conversation with Ada doesn't make sense, it's probably here.
- AAAWCAG conformance level AAA
- The highest of three conformance levels in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. ADA Legal Link targets AAA — stricter than the AA level most websites aim for.See also: WCAG
- ADAAmericans with Disabilities Act
- The 1990 federal law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, government services, public accommodations, and telecommunications. The most important U.S. disability rights law.
- ADAAGADA Accessibility Guidelines
- The technical specifications for what "physically accessible" means under the ADA — measurements for ramps, doorways, parking, signage, restrooms, and so on. Now incorporated into the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design.See also: Title III
- Conflict-of-law principles
- The rules courts use to figure out which state's law applies when a legal dispute spans multiple states. Mostly a procedural detail. When you see "without regard to conflict-of-law principles" in a contract, it means: this contract uses [State X] law no matter where you are or where the dispute happens.
- DOJU.S. Department of Justice
- The federal agency that enforces the ADA in most situations — government services (Title II) and businesses open to the public (Title III). You can file an ADA complaint with the DOJ for free.
- EEOCEqual Employment Opportunity Commission
- The federal agency that enforces the ADA at work (Title I). If a job application, hiring decision, or workplace situation discriminated against you because of a disability, the EEOC is where you file. There is a strict 180-day deadline (300 days in some states).
- Effective communication
- An ADA standard requiring government agencies and many businesses to make sure people with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities can understand and be understood. May require interpreters, written materials in alternate formats, captioning, or other auxiliary aids — depending on what the situation calls for.
- FHAFair Housing Act
- A federal law that prohibits housing discrimination, including against people with disabilities. It requires landlords to allow reasonable modifications and accommodations, and applies to most housing — apartments, condos, single-family rentals.See also: HUD
- FMLAFamily and Medical Leave Act
- A federal law giving eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for a serious health condition (their own or a family member's). Often used alongside or after ADA accommodations at work.See also: Title I
- Fundamental alteration
- A change so significant it would alter the nature of a service or program. The ADA does not require fundamental alterations — but the bar is high. A wheelchair ramp at a restaurant is not a fundamental alteration; rewriting a college's entire curriculum probably would be.See also: Reasonable accommodation
- Good faith
- Acting honestly, with genuine intent to do the right thing — not pretending or going through the motions. In ADA cases, employers and businesses are expected to engage in good faith when an accommodation is requested: actually listening, actually considering options, not just refusing on principle.
- HUDU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- The federal agency that enforces fair housing laws, including disability protections under the Fair Housing Act. If a landlord, condo board, or housing provider discriminated against you because of a disability, HUD is where you file. The deadline is one year from the discrimination.See also: FHA
- Place of public accommodation
- A business open to the general public — covered by Title III of the ADA. The list is in the law: restaurants, hotels, stores, theaters, doctors' offices, banks, parks, schools, gyms, and so on. Private clubs and religious entities are usually not covered.See also: Title III
- Readily achievable
- Something that can be done without much difficulty or expense. A Title III standard for older buildings — they have to remove barriers that are "readily achievable" to remove, even if they don't have to do a full renovation. The standard scales with the size of the business: a small bookstore and a national chain are held to different "readily achievable" thresholds.See also: Title III
- Reasonable accommodation
- A change to a job, workplace, or service that lets a person with a disability participate equally — without imposing an "undue hardship" on the employer or business. Examples: a quiet workspace, a flexible schedule, a screen reader, a service animal exception. The exact accommodation is decided through an interactive conversation between the person and the employer or business.See also: Undue hardship, Fundamental alteration
- Section 504Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- The first federal civil rights law for people with disabilities. Applies to any program receiving federal funding — most schools, hospitals, and many social services. Often invoked alongside the ADA, especially in education contexts.See also: ADA
- Title IADA Title I — Employment
- The part of the ADA covering jobs. Applies to employers with 15 or more employees. Requires reasonable accommodations and prohibits discrimination in hiring, firing, pay, and promotion. Enforced by the EEOC.
- Title IIADA Title II — State and Local Government
- The part of the ADA covering state and local government services — courts, schools, public transit, government buildings, police interactions. Requires program access and reasonable modifications. Enforced by the DOJ.
- Title IIIADA Title III — Public Accommodations
- The part of the ADA covering businesses open to the public — restaurants, stores, hotels, doctors' offices, gyms, theaters. Requires removing architectural barriers where readily achievable, and policy modifications where reasonable. Enforced by the DOJ and through private lawsuits.
- TTYText Telephone (also Teletypewriter or TDD)
- A device that lets people who are deaf or hard of hearing communicate over the telephone by typing. Modern equivalents include relay services, video relay, and IP-based text communication. Some accessibility laws still reference TTYs by name.See also: VRI
- Undue hardship
- The legal threshold an employer or business has to clear to refuse a reasonable accommodation. It means the accommodation would be very expensive, very disruptive, or fundamentally change what the business does. Hard to prove in court — most accommodations are not an undue hardship.See also: Reasonable accommodation
- VRIVideo Remote Interpreting
- A sign-language interpreter joining via video call. Allowed under the ADA for some communications but not always — for medical or legal situations, an in-person interpreter is often required for "effective communication."See also: TTY
Term not here?
We add entries based on what comes up in real conversations and what readers tell us is confusing. Ask Ada and she'll usually be able to explain — and we'll know to add the term here for next time.
Talk to AdaLast updated: April 2026.
We update this glossary as new terms come up and as readers tell us what's confusing.
What does ADA compliant mean
People use "ADA compliant" to mean a place generally meets the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design: things like ramp slope, door width, parking spaces, and restroom grab bars measured to spec.
There's a catch worth knowing. No agency hands out an ADA compliance certificate, and no inspector signs off and makes a place permanently compliant. The ADA is a civil rights law, not a licensing system. Whether a specific barrier breaks the law generally depends on the facility, when it was built, and what's feasible to fix, among other things. That's why you'll see us say a place "generally meets" or "looks like it follows" the standards, not that it "is compliant."
This is also why Spot never tells you a place is ADA compliant or non-compliant. Spot reads one photo and names what stands out, like a lip at the door or a ramp pitched too steep, and how serious it looks. That's a screening read, not an inspection or a certification.
If you want the actual measurements behind the term, the ADA Standards Guide breaks them down by topic: parking, ramps, doors, restrooms, and more.
More ADA glossary terms
Title I. The part of the ADA covering employment. Enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Title II. The part of the ADA covering state and local government services, programs, and activities.
Title III. The part of the ADA covering businesses open to the public, sometimes called public accommodations, such as stores, restaurants, and hotels.
Public accommodation. A business or facility open to the public that generally has to follow Title III rules, like a store, restaurant, theater, or doctor's office.
Reasonable accommodation. A change to a policy, practice, or workplace that generally lets a disabled person participate, as long as it doesn't create an undue burden.
Auxiliary aids and services. Tools like interpreters, captioning, or large-print materials that help with effective communication.
Consent decree. A court-approved agreement settling a case, often requiring specific changes over time. See examples on the cases we track.
If a term you're looking for isn't here yet, it's worth checking back, or asking Ada once she's live. For now, the fastest way to find a specific rule is the ADA Standards Guide.