About the Law
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) extends to people with
disabilities civil rights similar to those available to other groups of
Americans. Title I of the act prohibits discrimination in employment on the
basis of disability.
Familiarity with ADA will help owners and operators of small
businesses to use their knowledge of the law to advantage in finding,
interviewing and hiring qualified people with disabilities.
On July 26, 1992, the employment provisions (Title I) of the
Americans with Disabilities Act became effective for all employers with 25 or
more employees.
On July 26, 1994, this law becomes effective for all employers
with 15 or more employees.
This document is designed to provide small businesses with a
checklist of recommended employment practices that effectively support
implementation of ADA. The questionnaire was prepared by the Employer Committee
of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (now the
Office of Disability Employment Policy).
Test Your Knowledge
The following questions are based on successful employment
practices identified by the employer committee. They are designed to help small
businesses determine if they understand the intent and provisions of ADA.
- Do you provide information to job applicants and current
employees about their rights under ADA?
- Have you informed managers and supervisors about their
responsibilities under ADA?
- Do your recruiting efforts extend to non-traditional sources,
including organizations that serve people with disabilities?
- Have you reviewed your employment practices and procedures to
assure that they do not discriminate against applicants or employees with
disabilities?
- Are your interview sites and workplace facilities accessible to
people with disabilities?
- Do you provide reasonable accommodations for applicants during
the selection process and for employees as needed?
- Can you identify the essential functions of your jobs, and do
your interview questions focus on the applicant's ability to perform them?
- Do you administer medical examinations only after an offer of
employment is made?
- If you have medical records, do you keep them in separate,
confidential files?
- If you have collective-bargaining agreements, do they support
ADA implementation?
- Do you involve employees with disabilities in social and
recreational activities?
- Is your employee-benefits program accessible to all employees?
Your Score
If you cannot answer "yes" to all of the preceding questions you
may wish to obtain information from:
Office of Disability Employment Policy's
Job
Accommodation Network (JAN) 1(800) ADA-WORK (Voice/TTY)
1(800) 526-7234 (Voice/TTY)
Office of Disability Employment
Policy (202) 693-7880 (Voice) (202) 693-7881 (TTY)
For technical information on the legal requirements of ADA,
contact:
Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission: 1(800) 669-3362 (Voice) 1(800) 800-3302 (TTY)
For Additional Information
Most states have a Governor's
Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities dealing with
employment-related issues and resources. To contact them, call the Governor's
office in your state.
Udpated February 2001 |