Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The ADA is codified at 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. It was amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which restored the broad scope of protection that Congress had originally intended.

The five titles

• Title I: employment, for employers with 15 or more employees.
• Title II: all programs and activities of state and local governments.
• Title III: businesses open to the public, nonprofits, privately operated transit, and commercial facilities.
• Title IV: telecommunications services for people with hearing and speech disabilities.
• Title V: other provisions, including protections against retaliation.

Title II web and mobile rule

On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice published a final rule adopting WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for the web content and mobile apps of state and local governments. The rule includes exceptions, among them archived web content and preexisting conventional electronic documents. An interim final rule announced April 20, 2026 extended the compliance dates to April 26, 2027 for public entities with a total population of 50,000 or more, and April 26, 2028 for smaller public entities and special district governments.

Sources

• 42 U.S. Code § 12101, Findings and purpose (Pub. L. 101–336, July 26, 1990), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
• Introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act, U.S. Department of Justice, ADA.gov. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, U.S. Department of Justice, ADA.gov. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
• Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments, U.S. Department of Justice, ADA.gov. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
• Extension of Compliance Dates for Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities, Federal Register, April 20, 2026. Retrieved September 24, 2026.