Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. It also applies to the United States Congress.
To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability or have a relationship or association with an individual with a disability. An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered.
On July 20, 1992, the Helena City Commission passed Resolution No. 10456 and amended with Resolution No. 19473 on June 04, 2007 that established grievance procedures to be followed by any person or persons wishing to submit a complaint regarding access or alleged discrimination relating to Title I and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by Title I and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities of 1990; appointing an ADA Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator; and creating an ADA compliance committee.
ADA Update for 2011
The Department of Justice’s revised Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, which apply to businesses of all sizes that serve the public, took effect yesterday, March 15th. The amended regulations (see below for overview of changes) contain many new or revamped provisions on general nondiscrimination policies. The new nondiscrimination provisions, except for those addressing hotel reservations, take effect immediately. Compliance with the hotel reservation provisions is not required until March 15, 2012. The rules also include the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (2010 Standards), which provide new and revised technical requirements for building accessibility. Newly constructed and altered facilities must be built in compliance with the 2010 Standards beginning March 15, 2012.
The Department of Justice has developed a guide to assist small businesses to understand their obligations under the revised rules. ADA Update: A Primer for Small Business is an illustrated guide with easy-to-understand language that provides an overview for complying with the revised regulations.
More ADA Title II and Title III regulations changes go into effect next year on March 15, 2012, to be discussed in future updates.
Additional information about Title II changes is available here:
http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/titleII_2010/titleII_2010_withbold.htm
Additional information about Title III changes is available here:
http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/titleIII_2010/titleIII_2010_withbold.htm